


Tact and Grace

by Editonic



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, bit of angst just a little very tiny bit, brotp to otp, friendship is good, insecure!Adrien, more swearing than anticipated, pretty much a shitpost at this point, strong!Mari, this is honestly completely self-indulgent, very much not a slow burn, will remain unfinished sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-05-18 01:49:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5893498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Editonic/pseuds/Editonic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inse-purr-ities can be hard to escape from, but it gets easier when you have a fur-iend to escape to. Cheesy, but true.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Smile

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a fan of pretty much all Marichat tropes so I'm going to use them even though they're all overused.

It was barely even five in the afternoon when Marinette climbed through her trapdoor and onto her balcony, only to see a black smudge of a boy huddled in the corner closest to her. There were three things here that gave her pause: first, it was far earlier than he had ever visited her before, the habit being picked up a month before after another Akuma targeted her and only practiced after solid night had fallen; second, he hadn't done anything to let her know he was here or to get her always-demanded attention, but that could have been because; three, he was crying. Her friend, the always-smirking, always-ready-with-a-pun Chat Noir, was curled into a ball and she could see him trembling, though he was clearly trying to suppress it by holding himself as tightly as he could.

Marinette would have to handle this with tact and grace.

So, she did what any good friend would do and grabbed his wrists to forcibly haul him to his feet while ignoring his startled yelp. He only had a second to gape at her like a dying fish, grasping for words to excuse his sorry presence there and to beg her not to throw him over the railing, before she had ducked forward and caught his stomach on her shoulder to sling him across it. He gave an indignant yowl this time and grasped the back of her shirt with his claws to steady himself. Which was good, since he otherwise might have slid off her when she hopped back down through the trapdoor, despite her arm around his waist holding him steady. Even once she'd dumped him onto her bed, she didn't give him time to demand answers or offer them before she wrapped him up tight and cozy in one of her blankets. "Stay. There." And then Mari was off again, leaving him to blink owlishly after her.

The girl's sudden abduction had startled him out of his sobs, but once he was alone again, it didn't take long for the thoughts that sent him scurrying to the balcony to come flooding back. _Useless, weak, unnecessary, unloved, unwanted. You're a hindrance to Ladybug and a burden on Marinette. Your friends only hang around out of pity, but they'll get sick of you soon enough and leave and then you'll be all alone again like you deserve. You're just an annoying, clingy brat that inconveniences everyone you kn-_

And then the whirlwind that was Marinette's care returned with a tray carrying mugs of hot chocolate and a plate of fruit tarts  in one hand and a dufflebag in the other. The tray went on her chaise while the dufflebag went on the floor for her to crouch over so she could drag out a couple gaming consoles and a plethora of games. "Alright, kitty! Get your tail down here so we can get this sleepover started. I already asked my parents if it was alright and we've got the snacks so we're pretty much good to go!"

Silence met her declaration as he blinked at her again.

"Your parents...know I'm here?"

Her fingers slowly reached up to toy with one of her pigtails as she squinted at one of the walls, lips pursed. "Well. I mean. Not _Chat Noir_ , per se. But they know a friend is." That had been difficult to explain to her parents, but they accepted the story of a friend who didn't want to be seen crying being smuggled in a bit earlier, and their concern and compassion for the unseen child provided Marinette safety from the lecture she probably had coming. "It's not like I can tell them one of Paris' heroes is over to binge on sweets and games with me 'cause it just so happens that we're buddies. So if they ask, your name is Catie from Physics class." She sent a teasing grin his way to accompany the little joke.

Chat didn't return it.

Her grin faltered, then dropped as he looked away from her, refusing to meet her gaze. He hadn't smiled once since Marinette dragged him inside. Her grace and tact was failing. _She_ was failing. Chat had sought out her balcony when he was like this, had trusted her to make everything okay, and even after the multiple times he'd saved her sorry ass, she couldn't do this for him. She couldn't get his smile back.

_But she needed to._ "I didn't think you'd want to talk about it yet. I wanted to give you time to settle down first," she explained softly as she started slinking up to her bed, avoiding looking at him in her shame. "I guess I haven't been handling this right, and I'm sorry, Chat. Please tell me what's wrong so we can make it better."

He watched silently as she came up onto the bed and sat next to him, pressing her shoulder against his. Silence stuck between them for a couple minutes before the boy nodded, just a little bit. He cleared his throat, trying to clear up the lump that had found its way back there while she was talking. It didn't go away. So the boy crawled past her and stood by her desk with his back to her instead, which helped some; it was easier to say when he could pretend he was still alone. And once he'd started talking, he was too focused on the words to hear her follow him. "I'm...I heard somebody talking about Chat Noir earlier. While I was detransformed. Th-they said that I was only an inconvenience and that Ladybug would do better without me. And they're right. I'm useless, weak, unnecessary, unloved, unwanted. A hindrance to Ladybug and a burden on you," he intoned, face going slack as the voice in his head blared the words to him. "An annoying, clingy brat. No use to anyone as Chat Noir or as the guy behind the mask. Just a mass of bad luck that Ladybug has to save over and over."

Now the silence had been invited back by Marinette as she absorbed this. Her kitty was so upset because he believed some moron that clearly had no idea what they were saying? She shook her head. No, he must have had these feelings for a while for it to break him so much. And she hadn't noticed at all, as Marinette or as Ladybug.

Some friend she was.

But she was still desperate for a smile from him, and by golly, she was going to _get_ a smile from him. Her kitty was not allowed to stay so sad; it was against the laws of the universe.

Marinette moved to face him from the side so she could catch his chin with a hand and gently force him to look her in the eyes. "That's completely ridiculous. Not because I'm your friend, I'm saying this objectively: that's a load of utter crap. Do you know how many times Ladybug would have died without you? How many citizens would have been caught in akuma rampages? I myself wouldn't _exist_ right now if it weren't for you. Ladybug hasn't saved me even once and you've done it, what, eleven times now? You're _so_ brave and strong and kind, and you are completely, one-hundred-percent, irreplaceable and important. That, that _asshole_ ," she choked on the surge of disgust and anger that rose in her chest at the knowledge people would say anything like that about her kitty, "has no clue just how amazing and special you are, and its their own damn fault for being so blind, especially when you save Paris on a daily basis. Really! It's pretty clear how essential you are to saving the day. They need to turn on the news once in a while."

Chat was silent for a moment, his expression slowly morphing from hollow into something closer to hopeful before it was stamped down with his next sentence.

"That's what Chat Noir does. And there's always another Chat Noir."

" _Chat Noir_ , maybe. But there's only one of the boy behind the mask. Your nature isn't different just because you're in a leather cat suit; you're the one sacrificing yourself recklessly and selflessly at every turn because your first instinct is to protect. You protect and you care and you give and give and give. You're so generous with yourself, Chat, more so than anybody I've ever met. And you're patient and kind, loyal, dependable, brave, honest, sweet, quick-witted, _and_ a great friend. That's you. I don't know any mask with all those qualities, do you?" she joked lightly, trying it out again, her lips parted into a small smile. The blond's head had ducked down once the compliments started as he tried to hide his expression with his bangs, but Marinette knew she saw a sliver of a smile through the strands of yellow. "Heck, I might even be persuaded to say you are, at times, _funny_." The sliver broke into an almost-smug smile right before Mari threw herself against the boy, making him yelp and stumble back a few steps before finally falling over on his tail with her falling after. She didn't care, though; her best friend was finally cheering up, finally showing her the bright smile that belonged on his face instead of the drowned kitten look he'd had. A quick laugh bubbled out at the apparent (though small) success, which only startled the very confused Chat Noir beneath her further.

"Um...princess?" he asked hesitantly, his arms raised above his head with his palms showing, trying to make it very clear that he wasn't touching her - in case she thought he was taking advantage of the rather enjoyable position they were currently in. Her own arms were loosely wrapped around his neck while her legs tangled with his on the floor. They were chest-to-chest with him sitting up and her back bent awkwardly as she laid against him, though she didn't seem to mind it. And he definitely didn't. She was warm and the impromptu affection warmed him further; even when they didn't make much sense, hugs from his friends were always welcome.

She probably should have started with a hug, but hindsight is always 20/20.

"You're one of my best friends, Chat. Never say that you aren't needed again, 'cause Paris needs you, Ladybug needs you, and I need you. Those are facts."

His eyes widened and his tail lashed behind him as a smirk started to turn the corners of his mouth up. "Wait, okay so - I mean really? You mean that? We're best friends?" Another bubbly laugh in his ear and a squeeze from the arms around his neck was her answer, which only furthered the sudden giddiness he felt. _Of course they were best friends_ she was saying, when the most he'd hoped for was just friends. But now they were _best_ friends. And she was the one that said they were. He had another best friend!

Chat let out an elated giggle, one arm winding around her shoulders and the other around her waist, both pulling her tighter against him as he continued giggling. " _Best friends_. So you do enjoy having me around? I-I'm not annoying you?"

"Oh no, you do annoy me." The cat froze, feeling the dread from earlier start nudging him again, but she wasn't done. "You keep getting dirt on my bed when you lay on it; do you have any idea how often I've had to wash my blankets since you started dropping in? I'm going to have to get a spray bottle to keep you off, I swear," she whined, but her tone was more fond than anything and his relief had him relaxed again. A hand broke away from his neck to scratch behind one of his cat ears, with her fingers twisted into his soft hair and her nails delightfully scraping his scalp. His eyes slid shut as he savored the sensation, a low rumble emitting from his chest. It was almost enough for him to miss what she murmured next, but thankfully not. "Never so annoying that I don't love every visit. Never so annoying that I ever regret letting you in." That did it; the boy just melted and leaned into his new best friend and her lovely hand as he purred and purred away. Mari was so nice, so warm, so _damn_ _good at scratching just the right spot please don't ever stop_.

Oh.

She was laughing at him now.  
  
  
  
  


_He'd said that out loud, hadn't he._  


"Yes, kitty, you did," Mari answered, watching in amusement as her friend turned pink. "I have to stop eventually if we're going to eat those tarts, y'know."

Chat jerked away from her to stare, wide-eyed and kittenish. "We...we're still having a sleepover? Are we? Really?" And his eagerness only made her laugh again. But c'mon; kid never had one before, of course he'd be eager. 

"Of course! I can make a mask real quick for you so you can detransform, and I have plenty of clothes I made for practice that you can try out. Your build is pretty similar to my most-used measurements, I think." She pulled back as well to look at his torso appraisingly, which made an already-pink Chat turn red, though he knew she was just trying to estimate his numbers. But then a minute passed and she was still looking him over, now with half-lidded eyes.

"Princess, are you checking _meow-t_? Finally seeing what a _cat-ch_ I am?" He tried to make his words a smooth purr, but the poor dear was much too flustered, what with having a girl in his lap, studying his chest. A pretty girl. A pretty, sweet, gentle, energetic, friendly, smart, lovely girl. Who was now blushing at his words. Who he was now staring at in awe, because his lines had never worked as Chat before, what the hell. "That _worked?_ You're blushing! You _were_ checking me out!" Plagg and Nino had tried to convince him before that puns were not the way to a girl's heart, but he knew they were wrong!

"I-I..um, you, I...w-w-we..." Mari stuttered and stopped and stumbled as even her ears started to turn pink. She tried to slide off of him and away as she covered her face with her hands, but Chat's arms kept her on him and close while a smirk started to curl his lips.

" _We..._?" This time it came out as a purr no problem, even as he nosed the back of one of her hands, still hiding her adorable blush from view. It was much too fun to tease her like this and seeing her get flustered so easily by him was the best form of therapy. "We what, _purr-incess_?" And then suddenly her hands weren't there, because she was peeking out through them to glare at him, eyes narrowed and nose scrunched up and face very, very close to his. He froze at their unexpected proximity, though he was the one that put their faces so close together, but Marinette had finally recovered and simply pushed him back with a finger on his nose.

" _You_ need to behave so we can get the sleepover started," she huffed before detangling herself from him at last, so she could get to her sewing machine. While she was being productive, a still-frozen Chat was laying on his back, gawking up at the ceiling as he thawed. It only took the girl five minutes before she'd finished the quick black strip of fabric that would mimic his mask well enough for his identity to remain a secret, and he had recovered from his shyness enough to get up and head into her bathroom with it and a bundle of her practice clothes.

There was a quick flash of green from under the closed door as he detransformed and a chorus of demands and whining for cheese came after. "Plagg, behave and I'll get you some cheese when I can, alright?"

"Camembert!" the kwami insisted from the top of his charge's head. "Lots and lots of Camembert!" Adrien rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement as he reached for the wad of fabric he'd set down so he'd be able to catch his small friend. Undoing the bundle offered a handful of different shirts and a pair of green flannel pajama bottoms that must have been Mari's. Thankfully, they were big enough to be a comfortable fit on him, though they probably were quite baggy on her, and he found a loose and soft black long-sleeved shirt that seemed made for relaxing. He made two new bundles: one out of his clothes, the other out of the original bundle sans what he was wearing. His phone went into the bundle of his clothes, but not before he shot a text off to Nathalie saying he was spending the night at Nino's to finish a project, thanking his lucky stars that his father had eased up on him after his eighteenth birthday. Once he'd tied his new mask on tightly and ruffled his hair back into Chat's scruffy look, he emerged from the bathroom, only to be greeted by- " _Cheese!_ "

Plagg zoomed away from Adrien to plaster himself against the small round of Camembert Marinette was presenting to them on a large plate, next to a handful of string cheese and half a block of cheddar. "I, uh, heard that he wanted Camembert and remembered that we had some still and that my mom was going to go shopping in the morning so it wouldn't really be missed, so..." Her slim shoulders shrugged as she set the plate down carefully on her desk so the kwami wouldn't be disturbed. "Um, won't you get a stomachache if you eat so fast?" Plagg paused mid-bite to turn slitted eyes on her.

"That was a dumb question, but since you gave me cheese, I won't hold it against you." He tossed a large chunk of the cheddar into his mouth to swallow whole. "In fact, you may be my new favorite."

"What! I give you plenty of cheese every day!" Adrien put his hands on his hips and leaned over the plate, glaring at his ungrateful companion. That is, until familiar arms wrapped around his waist, lifted him for the second time that day, and carried him away to the chaise to end the potential argument. Mari dumped him down next to the tray of treats she'd brought up earlier and set herself to hooking one of the consoles from the dufflebag up to her computer screen, unaware of the flabbergasted stare her friend was giving her.

"You keep picking me up, what's up with that? How are you even able to lift me?" The girl wasn't any taller than she'd been when they were fifteen, nearly three years ago, and seemed so tiny to him now that she'd been in his arms - and he'd been in hers. His muscles made him heavier than his physique suggested _and_ he stood a head taller than her, so how could she carry him so easily?

That question was answered when, without glancing at him, Marinette raised one arm and flexed, making her lean muscle bulge and Adrien blanch. She did look at him once he made a choking noise, however, and raised an eyebrow. "Working in a bakery is a pretty great workout, don't 'cha think, kitty?" His eyes narrowed at the teasing lilt in her voice even as a blush took over his cheeks. Why was he blushing? He didn't know. But he was and she saw it and that made him blush more, especially when she patted his head. "Poor cat, jealous of little ol' Marinette's muscles."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Anybody would be jealous of these guns."

"I'm not!"

"I believe you completely." The girl's grin was all teasing as she climbed to her feet, heading toward the bathroom. "I'm going to go change; pick a game to play." Adrien glared at the console she'd set up since he now couldn't glare at her and huffed before doing as she said. It wasn't long before she returned, decked out in comfortable flannel pajamas, holding a plate piled with sandwiches, and ready to kick his butt in whatever game he chose. He glared at her from where he sat on the floor since he could now, except he broke into a grin when he saw the latest plate. "More food, princess? You spoil me."

"You probably won't be saying that when you're losing to me."

"Oh, you'll be eating those words." He cracked a confident grin and started the first game.

An hour later, she hadn't eaten anything other than sandwiches and tarts, and that confident grin was a pout. 


	2. Platonic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just completely 100% indulgence and I'm way too tired/sick to worry about pacing or proof-reading, so.   
> Lots more cat puns though.

"You're lucky you're cute," Adrien grumbled as Mari reached for the last tart; her reward for being the undisputed champion of her bedroom. She'd earned it fair and square after proving herself the superior player over and over again for the past two hours. However, the long string of losses was taking its toll on the kitty's ego, and he was just enough of a brat for it to demand satisfaction in the form of swiping the tart from her at the last second. As the girl let out an indignant squawk, he was already twisting around to get in a crouch before zooming off to the safety of her loft. "Just not cute enou- _ack!"_ He let out a squawk of his own when a small, heavy body slammed into his back and sent both of them to the ground, along with the tart. He hadn't even made it to the ladder; how was Mari so fast? 

"I'm cuter than you!" she quipped from where she sat on his back. A hand plucked the treat from the floor.

"Wait, you aren't still going to eat that, are you? It was on the ground!"

"And whose fault is that? Five second rule, anyway." Marinette brushed off invisible dirt as though it would help, then took a big bite. "Mmm, victory is so sweet." His nose crinkled. 

"You're gross; what if you get sick?"

"I'm hardly going to get sick from one floor-flavored tart." She rolled her baby blues and slid off his back to sit next to him instead. Now free, the boy sat up with one leg bent so he could rest his arm on his knee. 

"Don't say that, it makes it sound even worse. What does 'floor' even taste like?" 

"Going by my _floor-flavored tart_ , it tastes like raspberries." 

"Really now? I'll have to test your findings!" Before she could react beyond a yelp, Adrien shot forward and chomped down on the untouched half of her tart. Her eyes narrowed at him and her lips twisted into a pout while the boy chewed smugly. 

"I thought you said it was disgusting!" 

"Your knight bravely threw himself in _fur-ont_ of danger for you and you make that _ex-purr-ession?_ I'm trying to save you from illness, princess; the least you could do is reward me with, say, a kiss and twenty croissants." A dastardly smirk split across his face as he waggled his brows at her, prompting the girl to snort and roll her eyes. 

"You're just bitter about your 'princess' being a better gamer than you." She made finger-quotes when she said his pet name for her to make it clear she didn't agree with it (at the moment). The cat gasped and leaned away with a hand clasping his heart in fake pain.

"And how cruel she must be to demean my _ef-fur-ts_ so! I recklessly and selflessly sacrifice myself to the germs of your floor and this is the thanks I get? I'm hurt. _Purr-t,_ I say! And you can only make it up to me with three kisses and forty croissants."  He leaned forward with his head turned to the side, a finger tapping his cheek to point out exactly where he wanted his kisses to go. Not that he was going to get them. Mari rolled her eyes again and planted her palm - not her lips - on his cheek and shoved the flirt away. 

"Are you aware of how ridiculous you are?" she asked as she clambered to her feet. Her fists went onto her hips to cut a more imposing figure as she loomed over him, though the effect was diminished by the pink in her cheeks. 

"Moi? _Ridic-mew-lous_? I have no idea what you mean," he drawled through a smug smile. Just to irk her further, he batted his eyelashes sweetly, and was entirely too pleased with himself when the pink on her face spread. 

She, on the other hand, was entirely too displeased with him. But she knew how to return the favor. In one move, the girl scooped him up with one arm around his back and the other under his knees. Adrien let out a decidedly not-masculine squeal as he was hoisted up like a princess. The irony was not lost on him, nor was it lost on Marinette, judging by her self-satisfied grin. He groaned and hid his face in his hands as it turned pink; he could feel the muscles in her arms like this, and it put him by her chest and face, which was simultaneously pleasant and torturous because _dammit Agreste she's your friend_.  But she only knew that being picked up turned him a delightful red. "I was right. You're cruel. The most _sad-hiss-tic_ princess in this kingdom and the next." 

"You brought this on yourself, kitty; now you'll reap what you've sown."

"I'm pretty sure this is animal abuse!" He flung an arm out to punctuate his point as he looked up at her, but the sudden and sharp shift of his weight made Mari lose her balance. This was, after all, Marinette we're talking about. She squeaked as she wobbled, trying to move her feet the right way to find their center again, but it just brought them closer to the edge of the loft. And closer. And closer. Okay, they really needed to get away from the edge, but Adrien's weight was pulling her down and forward and off the loft and they were going to fall and neither of them were in the position to brace themselves and both had pictures of the other in a hospital bed flashing through their heads and _this was going to be bad_ \- 

Except they didn't fall, because Adrien's still-extended arm had been able to reach the wall and push away from it, flinging them sideways to crash in a heap on her bed instead. They were frozen, breathing a bit harder than usual, but didn't move even after they'd adjusted to what had nearly happened. Marinette had both arms around his torso and both hands clutching the back of his shirt protectively, and was not going to let go of him any time soon, because _goddammit_ what if she'd gotten Chat hurt? Her arms tightened around him - her best friend and partner, who she wasn't supposed to _injure_ \- at the thought. The fall would not have been a kind one and they didn't have their suits on to protect them. Sure, she'd fallen off before in a sleepy daze, but never with somebody else; especially somebody in her arms so she couldn't protect herself. And even then, she'd still collected a few sprains and more than a few bruises from the experience. "That was really dumb of us," she muttered into his chest. Mostly dumb of her.

Adrien let out a long breath and returned the squeeze, arms around her shoulders and chin on her head. "Yeah, maybe a little." But he was chuckling as he answered. This position was nice and nothing had really happened besides the two of them getting a bit of an adrenaline boost, so maybe it wasn't all that dumb of them if it led to (strictly platonic) cuddles.

"Don't laugh; I nearly got you hurt." The girl tilted her head back so blue eyes could be narrowed at him. 

"You would have been hurt too," he was quick to point out, "and it was a joint effort. You wouldn't have stumbled if I'd been smart and stayed still." A grin took over his face and he leaned a tiny bit closer, despite the blush that dusted his cheeks. If he didn't want her to blame herself, he'd have to distract her; what better way to do that than by continuing to be a brat? "Then again, if I had been smart, I wouldn't be cuddling with my lovely best _fur-riend_ right _meow_." A snort and a quick shove to the face brought that to an end and allowed Mari to sit up and take out her ruined pigtails, though her cheeks matched his now.

"Still dumb of us. Next time I'll only do that when I want to kill you and be able to claim it was an accident." He snorted that time and raised a leg to press a foot against her back. "Hey, wait, _don't you_ -" she was cut off by a quick push, forcing her to tumble off the bed and land with a soft grunt. "You mangy feline!"

"Oops, looks like somebody's still feeling klutzy," the mangy feline sang. He languidly stretched out along the bed with his hands behind his head and a smirk on his face, even as she stood to loom over him, scowling. 

"You know what? I think I'll have to retract your title as best friend and give it to Monsieur Chat-Peluche instead." Adrien bolted upright.

"What! What does that glorified pillow have that I don't?"

"Well for one, he's good for cuddling."

"I'm _great_ at cuddling, I'm extremely cuddly, would you like me to prove that again?"

"And he's cute."

"I'm adorable, c'mon."

"He's nice to me."

"That doesn't even make sense since it's a pillow, but Mari I will give you a foot massage every day for a month."

"And he doesn't tell puns!" 

"Now you're just making things up, _mew_ adore my puns!" His hands clasped together in front of his chest as he fluttered his eyelashes at her for the second time that night. "Almost as much as I adore you, bestie," he cooed. Marinette ignored her newly-pink cheeks, yanked a pillow from her bed, and promptly smacked him over the head with it. She grinned at his high-pitched yelp and repeatedly hit his exposed back while he tried to scramble away. "Mercy, mercy! Where's your _com-paw-ssion?"_

"You know, I probably dropped it after you kicked me." She thumped him over the head again before he was able to grab the pillow and tear it out of her grasp, holding it out of her reach and beaming in triumph. There was a pause with her eyeing him warily and him grinning at her. 

"You mean, _paw-bably?"_

"Urgh!" Adrien snickered like the dumb dork he is and swooped forward to catch the other dumb dork in a hug before she could try to smack him for being lame.

"Okay but really, we're still best friends, right?" She rolled her eyes, but smiled and reached up to scratch the nape of his neck, knowing it'd draw out a purr. 

"Of course, silly kitty. If your puns haven't driven me away, this won't." Mari let them stay like that for a minute while she pet him before she broke away to enjoy his dazed grin. Dude really liked getting pet. "I'm exhausted now, so let's just get a nest going and watch a movie before bed. Sound good?" He blinked the glaze out of his eyes before nodding. 

"But what do you mean by a nest?" 

Adrien soon found out that she meant the coziest, comfiest cave of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals ever concocted by man. He couldn't have stopped the purr that rumbled out of him if he had tried as he sat tailor style, curled up under one of the blankets with Mari, half-draped around her shoulders. "Chat, you're going to make me fall over. Pay attention, I'm starting the movie!" A noise of agreement answered her, but he didn't move even after she'd clicked the mouse and sounds poured from her computer speakers. It didn't really matter, since he could see the monitor just fine from where he was, and he really, really wanted the (completely platonic) contact; just to assure himself that she was there and his friend and wanted him around. "Seriously, I'm going to fall over."

"Hush princess, the movie is playing." He leaned on her more.

"Hey! You're too heavy for this!" She pawed at one of the arms around her, frowning.

"If you really don't want to fall, then just get in my lap instead." He smirked and pulled back just long enough to wink at her before slumping on top of his friend again. She wouldn't do it, he knew, and he'd been joking anyway. Except then she huffed and pushed his legs apart with her feet so she could sit between them. She wasn't on his lap, but she was closer, and now he could lean on her much easier and even hug her a bit, which he took full advantage of. 

Mari heaved a sigh when she felt his arms wrap around her waist, though she had to admit the warmth he brought was nice, and the purring was almost like a back massage in a comforting and completely weird way. All of the touching didn't really bother her, at least; she was used to it with Alya and it wasn't like she and Chat didn't have to touch a lot when they were working. Platonically. With a mental shrug, she relaxed against him to watch as Wall-e tried to decide if a spork was a fork or a spoon. 

It wasn't until halfway through the movie that the two fell asleep, with Adrien curled over her protectively and Marinette hugging one of the arms that still rested around her. 

Platonic. Yeah right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for chapters of the sleepover! I think that after hours of trash-talk, they'd be more comfortable with each other, so that's why no freeze-y blushes (and 'cause denial).
> 
> Ey also this is my first fic (I think I said that before?) and I have no idea what I'm doing (fo srs) so any advice or tips would be way appreciated!


	3. Repawing the Fav-fur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn this is probably not going to be a slow burn.

Marinette and Adrien were friends. Not especially close, but friends. They would say good morning in class, sometimes chat politely while waiting for their respective best friends to arrive, and help each other out if they needed it, being the nice kids that they were. Marinette was even comfortable around him half the time, though she still stuttered and blushed if he got too near or said something unexpected. No, they weren't close.  
  
Adrien had a hard time remembering that.  
  
Today in particular, after such a fun night of games and food and nearly falling down eight feet, he continually had to monitor himself before he did something Adrien could not do.  
Three times he'd caught himself half-turned in his chair with the intent to share a flirtatious line he'd just thought of. Five times he'd had to bite his tongue before 'princess' could roll off it. Twice he'd nearly slung an arm around her shoulders as they walked with Nino and Alya and had to pass it off as a stretch. Once, she had let her hand dangle off the edge of her desk and he was inches away from pushing his head up into it before realizing he was currently _not a cat._  
  
Mari was his best friend, but she couldn't know it.  
  
He wanted to be close to her as Adrien too. The problem with that was, she's smart. He had no doubts that if Adrien was close to her and Chat Noir was close to her, she'd connect the dots. And he wasn't sure how well that would work out.  
  
On one hand, he'd be able to get pats all the time and hang out with Marinette more. And use her front door.  
  
On the other hand, she'd probably flip her lid and so would Ladybug and he wouldn't get pats until his princess forgave him.  
  
The poor boy groaned and let his head drop onto his desk for the twelfth time that day; just the threat of going more than a week without pats was enough to keep him from exposing his secret. At least it was the last class of the day, and soon he'd be home scot-free. 'Soon' being relative, since it felt like an eternity of hearing Mari and not being able to joke with her, but class was over, the bell had rung, and he hadn't let anything slip. Ignoring the stunned look Nino gave him, Adrien vaulted over his table and flat out sprinted down the halls like Cerberus was nipping at his heels, to dive into the safety of his limo. He may have slid across the leather seats and headfirst into the other door, but he was safe! Adrien sat up with a grin despite the ache where he'd smacked his head. He had a photoshoot in an hour that lasted until eight, so if he did his homework as soon as he went home, he'd be able to leave for Marinette's house once he got back. Then, finally, he wouldn't have to restrain himself from having fun.  
  


  
Except once he arrived at her house, it was apparent hanging out would have to wait; Marinette was hunched into a ball against the railing of her balcony, her forehead against her knees, and arms wrapped protectively over her head. Chat Noir crouched low a rooftop away so he could watch and see if what was bothering her would be made apparent, but her quiet sniffles and shaking shoulders shed no light on the situation and only made him frown. Every moment he'd seen the girl that day ran through his mind. Alas, even as he scoured the memories for clues, nothing stood out as something that would lead to his friend being in this state.  
  
Chat's tail lashed as his expression darkened into a scowl. Marinette wasn't supposed to be crying. She was supposed to be grinning at his arrival, holding out a plate of cookies, and rolling her eyes as he packed his cheeks full of them. She was supposed to be patting his head as she sang along to the radio, then running into a spiel about the latest dress she'd come up with and what inspired it and who she wanted to wear it. She was supposed to be happy and having fun with him.  
  
_She wasn't supposed to be crying!_  
  
Briefly, Chat wondered if this was how she felt when she'd seen him in the same position last week. Concerned, scared, a bit angry and a lot helpless? Well, Mari had managed to help him, so Chat would be damned if he wasn't going to do the same for her. A grin split his face as he remembered.  
  
He'd need to be tactless and graceless.  
  
With his resolve hardened, the hero leapt to the neighboring roof before silently jumping onto her balcony so he could run at her from the side. Mari's head snapped up once he'd entered her peripheral vision, but it was too late; the streak of black crashed into her and wrapped his arms tightly under her own so he could lift her off the ground before she'd even had time to squeak. "Princess!" he sang, twirling them around and around, "I know you missed me, but no need to cry. Your knight in shining leather has _re-purr-ned!"_ He set her down then and stepped back to present to her a grin and a  
sweeping bow.  
  
To say Marinette was surprised would be an understatement: he was pleased to note she was thoroughly floored. He was even more pleased that the tears had stopped, just like his had when she'd burst in on his misery.  
  
"Ch-chat, what the...?" Her eyes were wide as she shook her head left and right in her bewilderment.  
  
"I saw my best friend crying alone. So I did what she would have done." He paused, then added with a wink, "With my own personal flair." She stared at him for a moment more before she snorted and wiped at her eyes and cheeks.  
  
"Thanks? I guess I did need a distraction." The girl chuckled a bit and glanced up at him with a small, grateful smile. It was met with a proud grin for one second, two, before his dropped. Gloved hands clasped her shoulders as Chat leaned forward to let green eyes get a closer look at her. She was completely disheveled, her eyes were puffy and her face was a mottled red from crying, but she was (beautiful) unharmed, as far he could see.  
  
"Tell me what's wrong, princess, and I'll make it better. Alright?" Marinette blinked at him before snorting again, this time with laughter following it.  
  
"Kitty, I know you're trying to cheer me up, but you can do that without the lines." Her hands wrapped around his wrists and gently pulled herself free while Chat gave her a much more sheepish smile.  
  
"It wasn't meant to be, I swear. But you can really tell me what's wrong! I want to help." She considered him for a moment with a sweet smile, before nodding and letting her gaze drift to look over his shoulder.  
  
"Alright...yeah, okay," she murmured, but didn't say anything else for a long moment. Once Mari found her words, she heaved a long sigh and smacked her cheeks briskly with her palms, as if to wake herself up . "I'm just stressed, I guess. Not much has gone right today." Her hands ticked her woes off one by one on her fingers. "I was helping in the bakery earlier and not only dumped flour everywhere, but mistook the salt as sugar for _two_ batches of cookies. And the dress I've been working on for the past three weeks isn't going well, we got our results from a physics test back today and I absolutely _tanked_ it, all my art supplies is getting used up - my erasers are almost completely worn or black, I only have one tortillion left, my pencils are all stubs, I'm low on both my acrylic and oil paints, and my sketchbook is nearly completely full _again!_ \- and it's really freaking expensive to replace everything! So I'm going to have to either use crap supplies and wait for my allowance to add up, or take extra shifts in the bakery, and..." She sighed for a third time as she let her forehead drop against his chest. "I'm already so tired," the girl groaned.  
  
Chat hesitated, then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and patted her back in an attempt to soothe his friend. "Okay, um, that was a lot more than I expected. But I can help with some of that! I happen to be rather good at physics, so I can tutor you when I visit. And I don't really know a lot about fashion, but I can offer opinions, if you'd like. What brands do you prefer for your art stuff?"  
  
_"No!"_ she cried immediately as she yanked back from his hold. "You are _not_ buying my supplies for me, Chat Noir. The other stuff, yes, thank you so much, I'd love your help there! But not this." The boy blinked at her and frowned.  
  
"If you don't tell me, I'll find out another way. Save us both some trouble and cough it up. Or maybe write it down for me so I can remember it easier." Even as he spoke, Marinette was shaking her head, and she stomped her foot when he'd finished.  
  
"Never! Drop it, or you can't come in for cookies."  
  
Chat went ramrod-straight and clamped his mouth shut, earning him a grin. She turned and went down the hatch to her room with a gesture for him to follow. Which he started to do, but not without muttering to himself about how unfair she was and how he only wanted to help a friend. Really, really wanted to help. Which was only natural, because she was his best friend and she'd been crying and he hated when she cried and wanted to hug her tight until she stopped and then some and never let her go and-  
  
He stopped halfway to the ladder, frowning. And he continued to frown there, deep in thought, until Marinette came out to see what the holdup was. "Chat? Is there a problem?" She stopped when she was an arm's length away.  
  
"I'm realizing something," he murmured, his words slow while his thoughts were almost too fast for him to catch. She quirked an eyebrow up over grey-blue eyes.  
  
"What are yo-" Chat cut her off with a hand over her mouth and kept staring at her. His brow was furrowed in his concentration and his eyes kept flickering over her face while she waited for him to stop being weird. And after a full minute, something seemed to click, judging by his widening eyes and dilated pupils.  
  
"Oh nothing," he breathed, "just realizing I have a huge crush on you." She jumped and tried to ask what he was talking about, but his hand was still over her mouth and an absolutely blinding grin had taken over his features, which had turned a nice pink at his own sudden confession. "I have a crush on you!" He laughed as Marinette gaped at him, then laughed some more at her squeak when he scooped her up to twirl around again.  
  
"W-why are you so happy about that? How do you know that you do? What about Ladybug? Where is this all _coming_ from?" she shot off, more bewildered than before and rather red in the face. It was quite the confusing night for her. Chat finally slowed after a minute and set her down on her feet, though his tail wrapped around one of her legs as he smiled down at her.  
  
"Because," he purred, "I have a crush on my best and most fantastic friend, and she is quite nice to have a crush on. I know that I do because I can't think of anybody else, no matter how hard I try - including Ladybug." _Not my Lady_ , her numb brain noted. "Because you're smart, kind, brave, cheerful, and a thousand other things I will definitely list for you another time. And!" He raised one index finger as his grin widened. "This is coming from...here." The raised hand swooped over to plant itself right over his heart.  
  
There was a pause. Then Marinette curled a lip back in disgust, nose crinkled and eyebrows knitted. "That was disgustingly cheesy, how _dare_ you include that in a confession to me! Get off my balcony right now you walking cliché! Dweeb! Oh my god!" His grin was infuriatingly bright as he watched her smack her palms against his chest and shoulders repeatedly, still spewing insults over how gross that was. Like she'd actually push him off the balcony. Or hurt his feelings, when he knew she didn't mean it. Well...she might a little. But the cat was far too ecstatic over his revelation to really care beyond the fact he knew how he felt, his princess knew how he felt, and they were together at the moment.  
  
Which brought his train of thought to this:  
  
"You know I'm going to be _purr-suing_ you now, right? I want to be friends no matter what, but I'm going to do my best to convince you to give me a chance." Marinette stopped hitting him to stare at him in disbelief.  
  
"You know I already like somebody, Chat!"  
  
"Yes, your beloved senpai-"  
  
"I told you not to call him that, you nerd! If anything, he is a prince." He rolled his eyes and tugged one of her pigtails.  
  
"But you're always going _'notice me, notice me'_ like a good little kohai. So kawaii."  
  
"I fucking swear, if you don't stop speaking weeb at me, I'm going to toss you off this balcony."  
  
"Gosh princess, so tsundere! I know you think I'm sugoi," he cooed, leaning closer to her snarling face. That is, until she'd lifted him up by the waist and held him above her head. "Hey, _hey!_ Friends don't throw friends off buildings, okay? This is going a bit far, Mari!"  
  
"What a scaredy-chat. Afraid you won't land on your feet?"  
  
"Terrified, really, like a sensible person." Mari snorted, but let him back down - she was never going to really throw him, after all; can't break her kitty. And also that would be insane of her. Once back on his feet, Chat pretended to dust his suit off with a huff and ignored her eyeroll.  
  
"You're a superhero, not a sensible person." Like she was one to talk. He huffed again and poked her forehead with a claw.  
  
"You know what? We got off-track here. The point is, I love you."  
  
"And I love somebody else."  
  
"Princess, I don't care if he has your heart, just wait and watch me steal it. I'm a cat; we're sneaky like that," he purred with a toothy grin. "And I'm very, very _purr-sistent_." Mari sighed and shook her head. This was all just a mess. A huge, huge mess.  
  
"Stop trying to be cool, 'cause it's not working."  
  
"Pretty sure it's working a little."  
  
"Pretty sure you should calm down, kitty." His smile widened at the pet name and he practically vibrated at the implication that she did still like him (because he wasn't entirely sure after nearly getting thrown off a building), which made Marinette finally smile back. "That's not very calm."  
  
"Nope! It's very in-love-with-you," he sang as he rocked on his feet. The red tinge on her cheeks matched his own this time, but she cared more than he did - she already knew that he liked her, so what did he have to be embarrassed about? And at that thought, he stopped rocking. "Wait, we can still cuddle even if I love you, right?" What if Marinette was too uncomfortable with it now that she knew he had romantic feelings for her? He wouldn't have confessed if he'd considered the possibility of no cuddles! Even if he hadn't planned to confess at all and hadn't been aware of his own feelings until that moment. Geez, was he always so dense? Looking back, the signs were blatantly obvious. The girl sighed again, louder, drawing the cat back out of his thoughts.  
  
"I guess sometimes when you behave yourself, I'll allow it." Mari would never admit to liking them, but after the day she'd had, cuddles sounded nice right then. "Are you going to have cookies, or are you going to stay here all night having weird revelations?"  
  
"Oh man, do you even need to ask?" As casually as possible, Chat snatched her up and hung the girl over one of his shoulders to carry her into her room, only to collapse onto her bed. Mari yelped at the sudden drop and sat up to find her lower half pinned underneath her friend. "We can stay here for a bit though, right?" he asked. The smile that snuck across his lips was entirely too cheeky for Marinette's tastes and earned him a swift pillow to the face.  
  
"Go get the plate, you pest. And you're only allowed back up here because I've had a bad day, got it?" He laughed and slid off her bed to fetch their treats.  
  
"Whatever you say, my princess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> weeb!Adrien is to be loved. If the crush realization seemed rushed, that's becAUSE IT WASSSSS. It's all rushed. I don't know where this is going. I don't know what I'm doing. This was like, three different chapter bits just mashed together. Send help.
> 
> Btw thanks for all the support! It turns my extreme terror into mild terror, which is appreciated.
> 
> Edit: Sorry, forgot that some people don't speak weeb! So here's a loose translation:  
> Senpai = senior in something   
> Kohai = the junior to senpai's senior  
> Kawaii = cute  
> Tsundere = character development where they're mean 'cause they have feels  
> Sugoi = cool (which he isn't)  
> And there's a common trope in anime and manga where a 'kohai' pines after their 'senpai' wishing they'd notice them. It's a meme now. Hope that clears things up!


	4. Forgetting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is really, really not a slow burn. This is, in fact, pure cliches and indulgence. If you ever expected anything else, stop that right now, that's not what this is here for.

"He said I make him forget Ladybug," Marinette muttered into her pillow. She squeezed it closer, buried her face deeper into the comfort it provided, and let her lips quirk up into a small smile. "He likes Marinette more. _Me._ He _likes_ me." A breathless giggle escaped to be smothered against the fabric. "Tikki, do you think he really does?"  
  
The small red kwami floated down to rest on her chosen's head as she shook her own. "You said yourself: Chat is many things, but he is not a liar." Suddenly, Tikki found herself having to hold onto Marinette's hair as the girl nodded her head.  
  
"You're right, he isn't. So he does like me." There was a pause as the smile slid from her face. "He likes me. But I still like Adrien; I can't imagine not liking him after so long. It's been-" her words faltered as a frown took the absent smile's place, "-a really long time. But we're still just friends. Not even _close_ friends, just friends." She sighed and rolled from her stomach onto her back to scowl up at her ceiling, which forced Tikki to flee onto a nearby pillow. "Which is nice, and I'm glad I can be friends with him. But is that all we'll ever be? Maybe I should let that cat try to convince me. At least he and I are close. And if he can make me forget about Adrien like I make him forget about Ladybug, then I should give him a chance, right?"  
  
"Well, _does_ he make you forget, Marinette?" The kwami's tone was amused, but the question made the girl pause and bite her lip.  
  
"No." She almost wished it was a lie. "Though who knows, maybe he will. It's different, after all; he's _'purr-suing'_ me now." Marinette nodded a bit to herself as she recalled Chat's sudden confession last night. And then she recalled a few other things: how elated his grin was when he realized and promptly declared his feelings for her, the warm feeling of his arms holding her up as he twirled the two of them, how safe she felt when his tail curled around her thigh, and especially the hilariously panicked expression he'd had when he thought he wouldn't be able to snuggle his friend-turned-crush anymore. Mari bit her lip against a round of snickers, but couldn't do anything to stop the blush that covered her cheeks. Burrowing into her pillow again solved that for her well enough.  
  
"He likes me."  
  
"You realize that he's probably going to try to show you who he is now, right?" Tikki asked, cutting through Marinette's delayed flattered, flustered mess of a state. The girl froze for a solid minute.  
  
"Not before Ladybug knows, that's for sure! Kitty will be neutered if he even tries showing a _crush_ his biggest secret before he shows his _trusted partner_."  
  
"You told him as Ladybug that you didn't want to know!"  
  
"I know! And I don't! But I should still know first before _I_ know, you know?"  
  
"...No."

  
"Think I should tell her who I am, Plagg?" Adrien asked, lazily spinning himself in his computer chair as he smiled lovingly at the ceiling. A sigh followed his words, but it was a happy, dazed one from the thoughts of Marinette running through his head. He thought of how her freckles danced on her skin when she crinkled her nose, of when she smiled wide enough for her eyes to turn into slits, of the sweet concern she expressed at slightly hunched shoulders and small frowns, of her laugh and how she called his name and her blush and creativity and talent and kindness. Then there were some thoughts that he tried to keep pushed away, but crept up anyway. One of those thoughts included his lips on her neck, feeling the vibrations of her moans as he planted his mark on her. That was a nice thought, he liked that thought. But back into the pit of his mind it went, since he doubted Marinette would appreciate him thinking like that.  
  
"Sure, tell her. Why not?" the black kitty kwami answered with a little shrug, breaking through his boy's thoughts. "Then we wouldn't have to transform every other night."  
  
Adrien grinned at that. He'd be able to use the front door, take her on dates, talk to her parents, maybe even hold her hand in public! _Scandalous._ But first things first; he had to make her fall in love with him.  
  
And that meant making as many puns as _paw-sible_.  
  
Second things second, he needed to let Ladybug know his plan to reveal his identity. This task required far less puns, unfor- _tuna_ -tely. The boy was well aware that he was going to get a lecture on responsibility, but they were partners and he knew that ultimately, if she were able to trust him with her life and city, she could trust his judgement here. His thoughts lingered briefly on Ladybug before images of Marinette returned to consume him, making him sigh over his love again.  
  
It'd been a year since he started to let his crush on Ladybug fade. It hadn't really gone away, just settled into something softer, less gripping. That is until his love for Mari smashed it and took its place as the forefront of his mind; when he fell in love, he fell swiftly to rock bottom, landed face-first, and suffered a concussion from the impact. The paramedics still hadn't arrived. "Eat up Plagg, I can't wait to give her the gift!"  
  
"The gift she specifically told you not to get her but got her anyways by being a stalker?" Plagg chomped down on his chunk of cheese, but chewed slowly to tease the boy.  
  
"Asking her friend is not stalking!" Before classes had started, Adrien had pulled Alya away from where she'd been waiting for her best friend. For once, he was lucky; the ever-observant reporter knew exactly which brands Marinette used, as well as the colors and sizes she got for each. How could she not, after years of being dragged to the art store and listening to rants on how much Mari loved a certain product? Her best friend was definitely not a mystery. It was even luckier that he'd managed to convince Alya to keep quiet about this so he could tell Mari himself at the right time. Though the smug, satisfied smirk that appeared on her face unnerved him, she had relented and promised not to let anything slip, with an added threat about exactly what would happen to him if he was just fooling around with her girl. Alya was a great friend.  
  
Then after school, he'd had just enough time to rush through an art store and snatch up everything on the list he'd compiled of what she needed and liked, before having to run off to a shoot for a few hours. When he returned home, he'd eaten dinner and powered through his homework, and by then it was an appropriate time to visit his love-slash-best-friend.  
  
Except Plagg was still eating.  
  
"C'mon, I want to see her!"  
  
"Didn't you see her a few hours ago?"  
  
"Yes, but I couldn't flirt with her then." Adrien poked one of the tiny twitchy ears on the kwami's head. "Be a pal and finish that cheese so I can flirt with a pretty girl." Plagg batted the finger away and chewed even slower than before. "I'll buy you a round of Camembert." Green cat eyes glanced at him. "Two entire rounds." And just like that, the rest of the cheese had disappeared into Plagg's stomach and Chat Noir stood where Adrien had been. "I knew you'd see things my way!" he crowed, grinning as he sprinted off to the rooftops of Paris, a brightly colored bag in each hand.

  
  
It wasn't much later that Marinette heard a tapping at her hatch and a familiar voice cooing at her to open it. "Princess, won't you grace this poor stray with your presence?"  
  
"Not if he's going to be talking like that I won't." The quip came automatically, even as she pushed her hatch open. Which she immediately regretted, as two bags were shoved into her face, their festive patterning making it clear what they were. "Chat Noir, what in the world is this supposed to be?" Her voice was much sharper than he'd expected, which threw him off.  
  
"A token of my love?" His ears flattened against his hair at her narrowed look. "I was planning it before the crush thing, I swear!" That only made her features scrunch into a glare which had the poor cat fumbling for words that would appease her. "I- I- won a contest? And the prize was th-this and it made me think of you - not that it would have to, since you're a-always on my mind?" His voice rose in pitch steadily throughout the lie until he was squeaking out the dared line. Marinette kept the glare up as he flushed pink, squirmed, fiddled with the bag strings, tried to smile at her, failed, and finally cracked. "I mean- this is- you- for the love of friendship, Mari, just let me be nice to you!"  
  
She sighed and let her gaze soften. "Chat, I don't need or want presents. I don't want you to spend money on me. I thought I made that clear!"  
  
"Humor me just this once, okay? Please? I have a lot of money and spending it on my friends is the best thing I get to do with it." Chat reached out and pawed at one of her hands while making his eyes as wide and sad as he could. They never left hers, knowing the look combined with a soft bump against her arm from his forehead would save him. Any sort of cat tendency often distracted the girl when she was mad. He watched as she struggled to frown at him, glanced at the sky, then shook her head as she gave up.  
  
"Fine! Fine. This once, got it? Try to buy me anything else and we'll see how many ways you can skin a cat," she threatened without venom. "Now stop giving me those kitten eyes before my heart breaks." Marinette could never resist that look, with his eyes wide and pupils dilated like a startled kitten; it made him seem too vulnerable (adorable), too much like something that needed to be protected. And she knew the cat knew it.  
  
His false ears perked and he slid closer to where she still stood on the ladder, a smirk replacing his previous expression; dude bounced back fast. "Fear not, my princess; even if your heart breaks, I'm always here to mend it," he purred with a wink. In return, he got a snort and a shove to the chest for his troubles.  
  
"In your dreams. Now I'm getting cold, so are you going to come inside anytime soon?" Chat hopped past her and into her room with the bags before she'd finished her sentence, so she assumed that was a yes. He was perched on her bed and holding out her presents again by the time she'd turned around.  
  
"I'm suddenly suspicious. Why are you so eager?" Mari narrowed her eyes at him, wary, but took a seat beside him anyway. Both bags were plopped down into her lap with an excited whine and no answer. There was a pause before she decided that he probably wasn't pranking her and opened the first bag to start removing the contents. Her eyes widened more and more with everything she pulled out of the two bags, and once she'd taken out the three - _three!_ \- brand new sketchbooks, the girl was positively trembling with gratitude and anger. The brat had actually figured out what she liked.  
  
" _Chat-fucking-Noir_ , I said not to buy me these!" Marinette flung her arms around his neck to hug him tightly, not letting go when he wobbled and flopped onto his back with her on top of him. Seemed to be a theme with them, and just like the first time, he was quite startled, even while enjoying the affection. "Damn cat! Thank you for the gift, I love it. But fuck you!"  
  
"You know, I'm getting some very mixed signals right now. Can't really tell if this is going well or not." Considering she was on top of him, it probably was. "Are you going to hurt me? Don't hurt me."  
  
"I make no promises." But she was smiling.  
  
"Sounds like one to me. Since you're not going to hurt me, then how 'bout a kiss?" That earned him a smack on the side of the head, but Chat just laughed and hugged her around the waist. "I guess _nya-t_ , then."  
  
"Not after that pun!" she huffed. Then when there was no following quip, the girl looked up to watch as he turned light pink.  
  
"Does that mean I _would_ have gotten one...?" Green eyes stared at her. Blue ones stared back. A second passed, half a minute, a minute. His eyes broke away from hers for a second to glance at her lips before he locked gazes with her again, both of them now considerably more red. It took another second before Marinette answered.  
  
"Maybe. But then you said that pun and now there's no chance whatsoever." She smirked and rolled off of him and the bed to put her new art supplies away, leaving a very disappointed kitty.  
  
"Wh-what if I took the pun back? C'mon, this is animal abuse," Chat whined as he slunk to the edge of her bed and peered over the railing. "Don't you know cats need love and affection? I feel neglected! And by my princess, no less."  
  
"I refuse to encourage that sort of behavior."  
  
"Indulge me!"  
  
"I'm sure I indulge you far too much as it is, kitty. But I do have another way to thank you that I think you'll enjoy."  
  
"A hug, then? A confession of your undying love?" She only rolled her eyes and headed down through her trapdoor to steal from her parent's bakery, like she so often did for her gluttonous stray. Usually when she left him alone, he'd get into her yarn or steal peeks at her designs, but tonight he used the time to bury his face in one of her pillows and silently scream into it.  
  
He'd almost had a kiss. He'd almost had one, and a pun ruined it for him. This was the ultimate betrayal.  Puns were supposed to get him the girl, not lose him a kiss! He'd never tell another pun again, that was it, he was done. No more puns. Ever. No sir. Not from him. _Pun-sitively_ not.  
  
...

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. Instead Chat yowled into the pillow again.

 

Marinette was not flustered. She wasn't. She most definitely was not at all the least bit flustered by laying on top of her best friend and partner and catching him looking at her lips. Nope. No sir. Not her. Absolutely never would happen.  
  
Her still-red ears and erratically beating heart disagreed. They said she'd been quite flustered and even pleased by the glance. They said that she'd been hugging a very cute boy, who was rather vocal about liking her and very sweet, and that she should probably give some thought to what kissing him would be like. They said a lot of things, but Marinette wasn't keen to listen to them at the moment, so she shoved thoughts like that down and skipped down the stairs. Once she was in the bakery, Marinette set herself to gathering up all of Chat's favorites, which she'd learned through experience, and carefully set them in one of the boxes the shop used for deliveries. A red ribbon topped it with a practiced bow and she used one of the markers for writing down orders to doodle paw prints across the plain white box. This was all completely necessary and not at all to buy herself time to calm down. It was only by coincidence that she was done and returned to her room exactly when her cheeks regained their usual hue.  
  
"Chat, come down from the bed and get your present." A flash of black in her peripheral vision was her only warning before a grinning cat stood directly before her. He leaned forward with his arms clasped behind his back and tail swishing.  
  
"Did my princess _purr-haps_ change her mind and decide to bestow her knight with a kiss after all?" Marinette rolled her eyes again, unable to stop the exasperated groan that escaped her but thankfully able to stomp down the return of her blush.  
  
"No, it's something sweet-"  
  
"I can think of nothing sweeter than you," he interrupted with a wink.  
  
"Be serious for a moment!"  
  
"I'm always serious about my princess."  
  
"Chat. I will chuck your gift out the window." That made him pause and bite his lip as he contemplated whether it was worth it to risk it. But who was he kidding? It was always worth it to flirt with her.  
  
"You're already the greatest gift I could ask for." That did her in; she cracked, cheeks flushing red. Again.  
  
"Damn it, you dumb cat!" Marinette chucked the (thankfully sealed) box at him instead of out the window, but much to her ire and relief, he caught it with no more trouble than if she'd handed it to him. Which only made his smug grin all the wider, which only made her more red and more irritated, which only made him more pleased with himself. It was a horrible cycle that was only broken after a minute when he spoke again.  
  
"So about that kiss..." Chat waggled his eyebrows under his mask suggestively, though any supposed seductive quality it might have had was diminished by the pink stain across the boy's own cheeks. Marinette groaned, looked up pleadingly at the ceiling, sighed, shook her head, and then even rested her forehead against her palm. He felt that so many exasperated gestures was overkill. She felt that he deserved it for driving her bonkers.  
  
"Fine, come here."  
  
Chat blinked at her. "What?"  
  
"Before I change my mind, alley cat!" He jumped slightly before crossing the distance in two quick strides. She was going to kiss him? What changed her mind? His eyes focused on hers; they were half-lidded and mischievous, which, combined with her still-present blush, was a look that had him buzzing in anticipation. Oh shit, she was really going to kiss him. Mari beckoned him down with a finger to encourage him to lean closer, and he did as she wanted because who could say no to that look? As he got closer, he gulped and closed his own eyes to keep from losing his nerve, despite still being half a foot away from her mouth. That was a mistake, he realized, when he jumped again at the sudden warm feeling of her hand on his currently extremely sensitive neck to help guide him down the rest of the way. When he was close enough to feel her breath on his lips, the hand ghosted away from his neck to his cheek, brushing along his skin, almost making him shiver but definitely causing his breath to hitch. He could swear their lips were centimeters from touching and briefly wondered if she'd taste like croissants, before her hand trailed to his jaw, along it, and then cupped his chin, and-  
  
quickly turned his head to the side so Marinette could plant a swift peck to his cheek.  
  
Chat's eyes snapped open and he reeled back once she pulled away, one gloved hand touching where her lips had met his skin. "Wh- but- I thought that, you, we, you were- we were- what?" The girl covered her mouth with the back of her hand in an attempt to stifle her laughter, but it did nothing to help his wounded ego and only caused him to flush a darker red.  
  
"You wanted a kiss and now you've gotten one." Her grin was toothy and victorious and still there as she laughed after getting hit by a cushion from her chaise repeatedly. "Didn't you enjoy your present, kitty?" she teased as she spun away from the onslaught. He pouted and flung his weapon at her, despite knowing his friend would just nimbly duck away.  
  
"You're a tease, princess; a _flea-se_! I may cry." Chat huffed and puffed and crossed his arms to be intimidating, then uncrossed them as he recovered his box of treats from the ground. Then crossed them again and narrowed his eyes. Super intimidating.  
  
"Maybe you shouldn't have assumed it'd be on the lips and you wouldn't be disappointed right now. A kiss is a kiss," Marinette sang as she rocked on her heels. He paused, then grinned.  
  
"That's true, princess. A kiss _is_ a kiss." The cat slid closer to her, eyes gleaming. She stumbled in her rocking and her smile faltered as his grew. "You," a claw stabbed the air in her direction, "kissed me." It turned to point at his horribly smug face. She blinked, then flushed again.  
  
"On the cheek!"  
  
_"A kiss is a kiss!"_  
  
"It was just a kiss _on the cheek!"_  
  
"A kiss is a kiss," he sang, leaning so their noses touched, which served to darken her blush. "You _kissed_ me, princess."  
  
"And I'm about to throw you out, mangy stray."  
  
"You would never; you adore me." She snorted and leaned back so she could shake her head.  
  
"Unfortunately. By the way, if you keep holding this over me, you're never getting any kind of kiss again." His eyes widened in horror for a split second before he smirked and shifted closer.  
  
"But I could still give them." Before she could react, he grasped one of her wrists and pulled her forward the last couple inches so he could plant a kiss directly on her cheek, then let her go and jumped back a few feet. A goofy grin made its way onto his face as he watched her slowly flush to the tips of her ears. "Gosh princess, you seem a mite red there. Should I open a window?"  
  
"Yes please," she breathed, looking at him with wide eyes, "so I can throw you out it you _flirty fucking feline!"_ Chat burst out laughing and set his treats down on her desk where they wouldn't get crushed, knowing what would be coming soon.  
  
"Nice alliteration!" was all he got out before Mari had slammed into his stomach to tackle him to the ground. They landed with a hard thud, but neither paid it any mind, as one was preoccupied with furiously ruffling up already messy hair and the other was busy getting them flipped over so he was on top instead. Chat held himself above her for a moment, then let himself drop completely and lay there, the weight of his body pinning her down and a loud purr rumbling out from him. Cat tendencies: very useful for calming irate crushes. It only took a couple minutes for her to relax and return to her regular coloring, though she still pouted. He sighed, but was smiling as he apologized.  "Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Forgive me?"  
  
"You don't look sorry." The pout remained. Chat chuckled and grinned.  
  
"Yeah, I'm not."  
  
"Not even for sneaking a kiss?"  
  
"Sorry, I could never be sorry for that. It was too worth it." At least, until a thought struck him. His grin faltered. "Wait, did it actually make you uncomfortable? I-I never intended for that, I'm sorry, I mean it; I would never take advantage of you I swear, I thought that cheeks were fair game now since you kissed mine and that we were just playing like alwa-" Marinette cut off his ramble by twisting her fingers through his hair and scraping her nails in a scrunching motion across his scalp to the nape of his neck. His eyes half-closed automatically as the purr came back full force. God, did she know how to shut him up. Both thought she should do it more often, though for different reasons.  
  
"We were playing. I did start the cheek kisses. I know you would never intentionally make me uncomfortable. Uh, except for teasing, that is. But I tease you too, so it's alright. So just calm down...and get the heck off me, cat." Mari moved her hands away from his head and smacked his shoulders with them instead. The cat groaned in displeasure, but complied and rolled off so he could help her stand back up. Her hands were in his and he hesitated to let them go.  
  
"You'll tell me if I make you too uncomfortable, though, right? I don't want to hurt you or ruin this or scare you off or anything, so promise you'll tell me; I'll worry about it all night if you don't." Small hands squeezed his.  
  
"I promise, so just calm down already. Let's get back to normal. Want to play Ultimate Mecha Strike 3?" Chat blinked, then smirked.  
  
"Depends. Do you want your ass handed to you?"

  
  
Adrien stared at his palms with a blank expression as he replayed the moment her lips had met his cheek over and over in his mind. A soft, warm pressure that was there for a second before it was gone. The boy tried to imagine it against his own mouth, but had to drop his head into his hands before he overheated from the thought. Now he had substance to his daydreams and he wasn't quite sure he could handle that.

  
The next morning, Marinette walked into class same as always, strode past Adrien's desk to her own, and took her seat before she realized something. It made her pause for a moment, blink, before slowly smiling to herself. Not once had she thought about Adrien before she'd actually seen him, and even now her mind was too full of her kitten and his antics from last night for the model to be too big of a presence in her thoughts.  
  
Chat made her forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahahaHHAAHAHAAaahahaha a'ight (i've never written romance before can you tell)  
> I wrote most of this while in various stages of sleep deprivation over the past week so that was fun, there's been some serious editing in the mornings lemme tell ya (I'm writing this after skype sleepover m80s)  
> My updates vary wildly 'cause my motivation/inspiration varies wildly so hey if you give me ideas I'll probably write faster I mean I'm just saying it'd prolly be a good thing ('cause I have nobody to bounce ideas with and I'd love some help)  
> Literally how I've been doing this is writing down a thing that I think would be funny and then trying to cram that somewhere to build around and I don't have enough funny thoughts for that people 
> 
> BUT HEEYYY 100 of you like this so far I guess? That's pretty cool, thanks for that, I really appreciate the support guys!


	5. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which nothing interesting happens, just a good bit of introspection.

"Ooh," Alya cooed with her clasped hands pressed against her cheek and a coy smirk lighting her face, "That's a nice new sketchbook! Who's it from?" Marinette froze in the middle of hunching over her backpack in her seat, fetching her supplies for their impending class. In one hand was the tablet she used for school notes and in the other was one of the new sketchbooks (the pink one with white butterflies, which always felt like a private joke to her) given to her by somebody Alya absolutely could not ever know she was secretly hanging out with. Not only would she be badgered for information daily and teased until she was in her grave, but it was one more very strong connection between Marinette and Ladybug that she really did not need Alya noticing. More than the teasing, the thought of the Ladyblogger finding out who was behind the spotted mask terrified her; daily interviews did not sound fun. With a shudder at the thought, the girl turned to face her best friend with wide, entirely innocent eyes; ones that most certainly weren't hiding friendly midnight rendezvous with feline suitors.

"How did you know it was a gift?" The words weren't meant to be accusatory, merely curious/deflective, but they had both Alya and Adrien (eavesdropping isn't nice, kids) immediately on edge. Neither wanted Marinette to know they were in cahoots - Alya because she'd promised Adrien to keep it secret and it was more fun like this, Adrien because wow that would expose things pretty dang quickly.  Fortunately for them, Marinette didn't even notice when the model went stiff, too focused on her friend and keeping Chat Noir a careful secret.

"I was, uh, just guessing! L-Lucky, so it really was a gift? Maybe from an _admirer?"_ It would have been a nice recovery, really, if the girl weren't glancing at Adrien every two seconds and if her smile weren't so panicked. Marinette narrowed her eyes the second she'd heard stuttering, but lucky again, that was quickly forgotten in the wave of heat the last question brought to her cheeks.

"N-no! That, it, just a f-friend, we're friends, a friend gave me it. _Friend._ Just friends." Well that didn't hurt Adrien's poor love-struck kitty heart at all. Did she have to insist that many times? He was pretty sure he'd made it clear that he was indeed an admirer. Very clear. Painfully clear. It was ridiculous how clear he'd been. He'd blatantly told her straight up to her face. Granted, it was while he was caught in the fit of exhilaration that often comes with that kind of discovery, but still! _He'd been clear!_

"Yeah, okay, _sure,"_ Alya scoffed, rolling her eyes to show just how skeptical she was of how platonic the relationship was, which was appreciated by the now-pouty blonde, "and that's why you're so flustered right now. Maybe _you're_ the one doing the admiring!" A meaningful glance that was sent his way was lost on Adrien; he was too busy sulking.

"I'm flustered 'cause you're getting the wrong idea! He's a friend and that's that." Pigtails bobbed with her firm nod before she turned to face the front, signalling the conversation was over. And it was, because at that moment, the teacher strode to the front of class with a cheerful smile and that day's lecture prepared. Marinette let out a quiet sigh of relief once the redhead dropped the topic (albeit reluctantly) in favor of paying attention to the class.

Mari's attention, however, strayed back to her stray. She'd only made the realization that Chat Noir had become a large enough presence to bump Adrien out of first place in her thoughts about five minutes before she'd been ambushed by Alya, and now that she had the time to ruminate, she took advantage of it to roll each thought carefully through her head. Did this mean she was getting over Adrien? Maybe. She was still hopelessly attracted to the quiet, kind personality sitting in front of her, but she could feel it becoming overshadowed by Chat's exuberance. And really, she wouldn't mind if she was getting over the model. Being in love with him hadn't done her any favors and if she didn't love him, she could talk to him and have a good friend instead. Then, was she falling for Chat? A blush rose to her cheeks while she contemplated this. It certainly wasn't impossible.  The girl had always at least been fond of her kitten and the closer she got, the more she found to like: how sweet he was, how smart, quick-witted, brave, selfless, respectful, kind, fun, friendly, supportive, trustworthy - there was a lot she liked. Shit, there was _a lot._ And yet, she could still feel comfortable around him without freezing (too much).

Marinette sighed and sank forward in her seat, letting her arms fold under her chin to cushion it. Still, she didn't want to rush into anything romantic with him. Both of their feelings were freshly realized, even if he decided that it was smart to confess right away (the fucking dork), and she needed to know that nothing would get awkward in their partnership if things didn't work out between them; if they had a falling out because of a failed relationship, it would put all of Paris in danger. That would just be dumb. Still, it would also be dumb to have these feelings and do nothing with them. That too could strain a partnership, so to hell with that. If she was going to like her kitty, she was going to like her kitty. And she would be smart about it; that way, maybe they could be together in a sort of a little bit romantic way eventually, if they decided that's what they wanted. Maybe. Not to say that she exactly wanted that right now. She still wasn't sure it was romantic love, anyway.

Adrien watched the board and dragged his pencil across his notebook, but let his mind wander around his love life instead of what the lecture was about. Sure, yeah, he was perfectly happy to be Mari's friend. Ecstatic, really! But just a friend? He was her _best_ friend, thank you very much. Best. Not 'just'. _Best friend;_ she said so herself. He could take her saying he wasn't an admirer (though he very much was) even if it hurt his feelings a bit, since he didn't want his feelings to strain their friendship, but saying he wasn't a best friend? Well now that was just unforgivable and would have to be rectified immediately. He just needed to be in a catsuit first.

The blond glanced over his shoulder at the target of his affections and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips at the sight of her blush and half-lidded eyes. _Maybe she's thinking about Chat Noir,_ he thought, _now wouldn't_ **_that_** _be something._ He turned back around in his seat as his thoughts took a turn with him, his smile drooping as fast as it had cropped up. _No, with that look in her eyes, she's thinking of her crush. Not me._ With a silent sigh, Adrien let his head fall to his desk, not caring about the curious look Nino sent him and without noticing the almost smug smirk Alya had adopted. Thankfully, his relationship woes were forgotten as the screams of akuma victims reached the classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the paws, didn't mean to pro-cat-cinate. Real life decided to bug me and my motivation to create anything got spotty for a while there. You can blame the aSSHOLE THAT DECIDED HE COULD DO WHATEVER HE WANTED TO ONE OF MY SKETCHES (he's been pun-ished) but thats neither here nor there hope you like the chapter and stuff.  
> PSA: dont fucking steal art thats how you give artists anxiety and then they dont want to leave bed or take their meds and can't sleep dONT DO IT.  
> actually i might still be a bit bitter just a little bit
> 
> next chapter should be up a lot sooner probably  
> i need to give these kids more op-pun-tunities


	6. The Cat's in Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol if u thought i'd b writing a fight scene you thought wRONG

It wasn't until after the sun went down that two magical-armor-clad superheros met up on the top of the Eiffel tower. They weren't there for a patrol (because who had the time for that, they were barely getting enough sleep as it was) or to swap notes on making excuses, or to talk about how cute their respective kwamis were; they were there for much less serious superhero business.

"You want to-"

"-tell her who I am, yes," Chat stated, arms folded firmly over his chest as he looked down at his partner. "I really like her and I want a relationship with her and if she decides she wants one with me, I'm going to show her who I am so we can have that." Despite delivering what he thought was a very simple, logical sentence, Ladybug still looked completely and utterly lost. Maybe even a bit angry. Certainly red-faced.

"Wh- but- how do you even know you can trust her with that? She's a civilian, Chat!" _As far as you know, anyway,_ the girl added mentally, "You'd be putting her and yourself in danger!" Of course, he was expecting her to say this, since it was both true and obvious.

"I know how strong and clever she is, so I don't doubt she can take care of herself, and I know how kind she is, so I don't doubt she'll take care of me. Marinette wouldn't betray me." His tone was steady and, admittedly, practiced. Chat had initially had the same concerns, though not for long (roughly three minutes) before the memory of her character (and biceps) chased them away. Marinette was a good person, brave, strong, smart, and resourceful, as Ladybug should damn well know after the Evillustrator incident. Though, granted, that was a few years ago. Maybe she needed another refresher on how amazing Mari was? "Don't you remember three years ago, with the artist that tried taking her on a date? She was the one tha-"

"Got you both out of the box and had nearly tricked the akuma into giving up his pen, yeah, yeah. I remember, kitty; don't make me listen to it again. I heard it enough the two weeks after it happened." Ladybug heaved a sigh and let it linger past her lips as she folded her own arms; her eyes glanced to his, but couldn't stay there long before she gazed over their city instead. It was easier to ask if she wasn't looking at him. "What if you decide you don't like her anymore later? What if you guys fight and she gets mad? Would she still keep it a secret then?"

"Yes." The answer was instant and sincere enough to make her flinch. Where was this blind faith in her coming from? "I know she gets angry and she can be petty at times-" _Oh well gee thanks._ "But she would never intentionally put somebody in danger. Even when she's beyond pissed at me, I can always see that she still cares, especially since when she's beyond pissed, it's usually out of worry for me." Chat chuckled at that, but Ladybug narrowed her eyes at him. Of course she'd get mad when he was throwing his life out as a shield willy-nilly. "And if she chooses to have me, believe me Ladybug, I'm not going to let us break up. She's too precious to let go of; I'm not going to mess this up."

There was a moment of silence where their gazes met again, this time hers awed. Now she saw as his eyes glazed over, dreamy and looking at a future where Marinette was his and he was hers and everything was rosy and warm and they were totally going to have three kids and five cats and his mom was there too because hey why not.

"Oh damn, you don't like this girl; you love her. Oh my god, Chat, your face!" The cat blinked back into reality and stared at his flushed partner. A clawed hand automatically rose to pat one of his cheeks, looking for the source of her outburst.

"Huh? What about my face? Are you referring to how strikingly handsome it is?"

"No, I'm referring to how _disgustingly love-struck_ it is!" Chat Noir blinked again, opened his mouth, shut it, opened it again, then shook his head and shrugged.

"I mean, I guess I can't really deny that. And I don't really want to. I'm In love with my best friend, yup. I-I've only been saying I like her until now but..." His words trailed off while he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. If she didn't know better, Ladybug would have sworn he was blushing under that mask.

"You have a serious problem with falling in love with girls and then trying to tell them all your secrets."

"Hey! Twice does not constitute a problem!"

"Whatever you say, Chat Noir. Look, if you trust this girl this much, then fine. Do what you think is best. I can't say that I'm not a little hurt that you'd tell a civilian your identity before telling me, though."

"That," he tapped a claw against her nose, "is entirely your own choice and fault, Buggy." Blue eyes narrowed at him a split second before Ladybug took the opportunity to chomp down on his finger; his cattitude was irksome. Warranted, but irksome. Chat yelped and yanked his hand away to cradle it against his chest as he shot a return glare. "And that was just rude!"

"Yes it was. It was also entirely worth it. Goodnight, kitty!" There was a quick zip and the spotted heroine was off swinging back home before Chat could even open his mouth to comment on how childish she was being. Because she was being childish.  But hey, he could totally go visit Marinette now that their superhero meeting was over, and that was enough for him to not mind his partner getting the last word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm such a liar ahhahaa sorry  
> and this is all short and stuff sorry sorry  
> and  
> umm  
> i might not continue this? i'm not super motivated to write but if I do stop, would u guys be interested in seeing the snippets I had for the rest?
> 
> reading my stuff over again is way too embarrassing gosh golly


	7. Annoying

"Alright. If you won't let me expose myself-"

"Wow, great word choice there."

"-then I'll just have to come at you from both sides-"

"Getting kinda kinky."

"-so prepare yourself-"

"Gotta do it myself huh?"

"-to get double-teamed by me."

"Fantastic finale there, wow, that innuendo."

"Keep the dirty jokes up, princess; it's only making me more determined to woo you."

"That's...well, weird. You're weird. Why are dirty jokes a factor of your attraction to me?"

"Love doesn't need a reason, sweetheart." Marinette _tsk_ -ed and gave him a disapproving look where he was sitting upside-down on her chaise before turning back to her fabric-wrapped mannequin, but Chat was fine with that since it was the first time she'd spared him a glance all night. He assumed it was because of the lovely dress design she was molding into reality. Really, it was because she was still a bit peeved over how their meeting earlier went, which was now somehow spilling into their interaction with her as a civilian, with him insisting on exposing his secret identity; did he seriously plan on flirting with her outside the mask too? When was he going to find the chance unless they knew each other? What poor planning skills. Whatever the reason, though, he was still a cat and cats did not like being ignored; he got a taste of attention and now he was impatient to get more. After all, that glance must mean she's ready to play, right? 

Slowly, silently, he rolled tail-over-head to land on his toes in a crouch without so much as a squeak from his leather suit, and from there, slunk on all four towards where her back was turned to him. He rose once he was directly behind her and waited until his chin hovered right over her left shoulder before latching his arms around her torso and his tail around her thighs. Her startled yelp made a chesire grin pop up on his face. "Hey there, princess! I've been feeling pretty neglected so you should take a break, like, right now."

"Chat Noir, I was talking to you just a minute ago."

"Okay, yeah, but those were mean words and you barely looked at me while you were saying them. That's not nice. Not enough attention. Give me better attention." He rubbed his cheek against her neck and shoulder and pouted, eyes large and bright and _oh-so-sad_ as they looked up at her.

"Would my fist meeting your face count as attention? Because that's what you're going to get if you don't get off me, kitten." His sad kitty eyes got sadder as he let his arms drop from around her, but he didn't move from her shoulder, just in case she would let him get away with the meager amount of contact.

"Marinette, _flea-se,_ I'm trying to _treas-purr_ our time _togeth-fur._ "

"Oh that is it!" Mari twisted around until she could haul him over her shoulder like a kitty-eared sack of flour. "You and your punning ways can get out of my space. This is a pun-free zone." Said kitty-eared sack of flour got dumped back onto the chaise.

"Not a fan of my _chit-chat?_ " She groaned. "You shouldn't have given me the _pun-purr-tuna-flea._ "

"Was that-"

"Yes."

"-four puns-"

"Oh yes."

"-out of one word?"

"Ohh-ho-ho-ho, yes."

"I think I hate you now."

"I'm a beautiful sinner."

"Sinner, sure; we can argue about the 'beauty' part later. Like, when I'm talking to you again." The girl flicked her friend's nose before returning her attention to her dress and her back to her cat.

"Man, now you're not even going to talk? I wanted more attention, not less." When she didn't spare another glance, he let out a deep sigh and resumed his upside-down state on the chaise to continue his vigilance over his princess. Chat Noir could be silent. Calm. He wasn't still desperate for attention, absolutely not. He could let Marinette work without bothering her. He could be a good friend and stay quiet. He could-

No he couldn't. "Princeeesss," he yowled, "please pay attention to meee, I'm so lonelyyy and booored. We're supposed to be friends, why won't you be friendly with meeee, I want attention." The cat slipped off his seat and onto the floor, where he rolled around on his back and sides, still whining like the giant child he truly was. A loud, drawn-out groan cut through his _chat-ter_ and he looked up to see Marinette repeatedly bumping her forehead against her mannequin.

"Why me. Why tonight. Why. _Why-why-why._ Why are you so annoying. Whyyyy. Why Chat?" The boy blinked at her innocently as she droned on, glanced away for a moment in thought, then gave his most ~~shit-eating~~ winning grin.

" _Be-claws_ I love _mew, purr-incess_."

"I'm going to throw you off the roof. For real this time. I don't care if that makes me insane, I'm going to do it. You're a superhero; you've been thrown off higher buildings-" _by her_ "-so I don't know why I even bothered to hesitate before. C'mere kitten; let's see if you land on your feet." She finally moved away from her dress and towards him, which was what he had wanted this whole time, but he could have done without the hard set of her jaw or the stony glint she had in her eyes that made it seem like she was being serious.

Which probably had something to do with her being completely serious.

"Hey woah, Mari c'mon, let's talk about this. Don't do anything rash. I'll be quiet! Silent kitty, I promise. Won't even know I'm here." He skittered away as the designer got closer, but it didn't help much; she was quite determined to give him the boot.

"You're right. I won't know you're here, 'cause you won't be." It only took her a minute to finally get her claws on the back of his neck so she could haul him out of the trapdoor by his scruff.

"Mari, please, have _mew-cy!_ Please please please, I'll just watch, c'mon!" It was rather unnerving to be held over the railing of a balcony, even while covered in magical armor.

"Goodnight, _Cat-sanova;_ you're not allowed back until tomorrow."

She let him drop and immediately turned back to her room, not even staying to listen to his yowl on the way down or see him land perfectly safe on all fours.

" _Purr-haps_...I took it too far. I think it's safe to say I messed up there." He'd have to ask Nino for advice on how to not annoy girls into throwing him off a roof in the morning. Surely it was a common occurrence that plenty of men such as himself had difficulties with. Absolutely. No doubt. It was totally not just him. He absolutely did not just ruin his chances of wooing Marinette. And Plagg totally wasn't going to laugh at him all night.

Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i don't remember how i used to write tbh  
> and im p grumpy so i guess tha t leads to grumpy characters  
> but i gaVE IT A SHOT
> 
> i stole from conversations i've had with friends for like half the puns  
> (my friends hate me)


	8. Senpai Is Noticed

When Marinette sat down at her desk that morning to wait for Alya to arrive and class to start, she did so expecting only that to happen. Yet, that was the morning Adrien The Model decided to (attempt) swaggering up the stairs to stand next to where she sat. He leaned over with one of his hands on the desk and the other on his cocked hip, an eyebrow raised for what he thought was a suave look. Which might have worked if his eyes weren't just a little too wide with what seemed to be panic and his smile weren't so forced. "So, Marinette," he squeaked out with a voice a full octave higher than normal, "I need some answers for the math homework. What's your number?"  
  
The petite girl froze with a blank stare and a textbook in her hand as she slowly tried to process what he said. It didn't work.  
  
"Sorry, what? I-I think I heard you wrong." She chuckled awkwardly as a blush crept up both their cheeks. Adrien stole a glance towards Nino, who waved him on. After clearing his throat and straightening up, the poor nerd tried again.  
  
"D-do you know what our classes are today?"  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah. We ha-"  
  
"Because I'm pretty sure you and I have chemistry!" Silence followed as Marinette gaped at him, stunned. He swallowed audibly at the lack of a positive reaction before a final, flailing attempt was made. "W-We're learning about important dates in History, want to be one of mine?" The final nails in their respective coffins were the double finger guns and exaggerated wink he sent her way.  
  
Neither moved for a minute, despite Adrien shaking in nerves because _wow_ this didn't seem to be working and Marinette shaking from the effort of holding back her screams.  
  
Why was he doing this? Was he trying to flirt? Was he nervous? He seemed to be sweating a fair amount. Kind of cute in a gross way but why is he nervous and flirting and sweating?  
  
Why was she staring at him like he was a kind of weird bug that looks sort of familiar but not enough to know it isn't going to bite? Why wasn't she saying anything? Nino said that these would work; were they working? They really didn't seem to be working.  
  
Alya was no help (since she joined Nino in observing the scene once she arrived on set), so the two teens were saved only once class started. Adrien half-waved, half-flailed before sharply turning on his heel and stalking down to his own seat, shoulders hunched up to his ears to shield himself from his shame. Hindsight said that he should have remembered what happened three years ago when Nino had a crush on Marinette and how the boy had been completely unable to speak a word in her presence. Why had Adrien asked him, of all people, for help?  
  
While Adrien admonished himself silently, Marinette tried her best to puzzle out why the frick-frack Adrien had said those things. He seemed to be flirting (poorly) with her which was...a good thing, right? Did that mean he liked her in a romantic way? But why pursue her now just when she thought she could move on from him? It was so sudden! And the timing really could be better since apparently she'd have Chat's alter ego to deal with sooner or later as well. Speaking of Chat Noir, Adrien's flirting was even worse than the cat's.  
  
Wait. No. Of course Adrien wasn't flirting with her; he's Adrien Agreste and she wasn't dreaming. It was far more likely that Nino put him up to it as a prank and Adrien, being the good boy that he was, was nervous over potentially upsetting her. How embarrassing to actually think Adrien would flirt with _her._ She sent a glare in the darker boy's direction, ignorant to Adrien repeatedly smacking his own forehead with a textbook as he chanted _"Stupid, stupid!"_ under his breath.  
  
Thankfully, by the time the sun set, his ego had recovered enough to don his mask and venture back to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery as Chat Noir: Debonair Superhero Extraordinaire. With his confidence back in (almost) full force, he could pretend that he hadn't made an idiot out of himself earlier that day and return to seducing his princess the right way: with puns. _Paw-lenty_ of puns.  
  
Though, of course, he could only do that should the princess deign to grant him entry into her tower after quite _litter-ally_ chucking him out the other night. "I'm not sure if I should, you've been pretty annoying lately," Marinette accused when he showed up at her trapdoor with kitten eyes at the ready. "If I do take pity and let you in, do you promise to behave yourself? No pestering me when I'm trying to get something done?"  
  
"I _paw-mise_ I'll be the _model_ of good behavior," he swore, clawed hand over his heart in a not-so-solemn vow.  
  
"Your pun makes me doubt your sincerity, but fine, I suppose I'll let you pass."  
  
"And I didn't even have to give up puns this time!" he cheered as he hopped past her before she could change her mind. "So princess, anything interesting happen at school today?" Yes, he had only just recovered from his amorous blunder, but he would die if he didn't know what she thought of it. He was desperate for the feedback; it was his only shot at winning the fair maiden's hea- _wow she was red._ "Your current hue tells me that yes, something did happen." Was the something him?  
  
She tried to give a dismissive snort and walked past him to set up a game on her computer so they could play instead of talk about her personal life. "Nothing happened at all!"  
  
"You're a terrible liar." The something had to be him; he hadn't heard about anything happening from Alya. She was totally red from his flirting!  
  
"Okay, nothing happened that you would want to hear about."  
  
"Try me." Marinette took a glance at his self-assured stance with his folded arms and puffed out chest, and rolled her eyes at the almost smug smirk he had plastered across his face. Well, she'd wipe that off soon enough.  
  
"Fine. If you absolutely, positively _must_ know...my crush flirted with me today." His smirk was indeed wiped away as everything came to a screeching halt in his mind.  
  
"Wait, senpai did? He flirted with you?"  
  
"No weeb-speak! And yes, he did. So there." Watching him nearly tear out his hair in frustration and then pout on her chaise was the highlight of her night and the only thing Chat could do. How arrogant of him to think she would blush over Adrien's lame lines. And how unfair of this dastardly fellow to start paying attention to her out of the blue! He should probably be happy for her, but that could come later after a healthy dose of sulking.  
  
"C'mon kitty, you'll feel better after I kick your tail at this game a few times." Marinette smiled as she wiggled one of the controllers in her hand to entice him over. After a second of drinking in the sight of her smile, it worked and the grumpy cat trudged over to have his ass handed to him repeatedly. It was only after she was satisfied he'd been thoroughly trounced and both were in vastly improved moods that they renounced gaming for the night to stray to more comfortable pastures.  
  
"You know," Marinette started during a lull in their conversation, tone innocent, "I'm not sure you're a knight." Chat glanced up at her from where he sat on the floor with his back leaning against her bed, which she was laying along the edge of; one arm dangled off and let her knuckles brush the floor while the other was pillowed under her head, squishing her cheek and turning one eye into a slit. It was impossible for him not to smile as he leaned closer.  
  
"Oh? What am I, then? Perhaps a dashing prince to sweep you off your feet?" Usually, she'd roll her eyes and scoff, but now her smile only widened.  
  
"A lady-in-waiting." The blank stare that answered her set the girl off into a fit of giggles.  
  
"Explain yourself, woman." That got him a flick on the nose.  
  
"Okay, so, knights are only one step above peasants, you know? They wouldn't really interact with princesses. But you and I are best friends, so you need a title where we would be able to be close."  
  
"I could be close to you as a prince! Ladies-in-waiting never got to fight; they never even received lessons and I know you know that!"  
  
"Doesn't suit you. Plus, then we're likely to be related." The cat pouted and crossed his arms for a moment before a thought crossed his mind and a smirk followed suit.  
  
"I suppose it does, since I'll always wait for you, my princess." The flush that decorated her cheeks was worth the glare it came with. The last few days she'd been grumpier more often than she'd been red and that had not been his goal with the flirting. Thankfully, now she was more receptive after he'd toned it down to a few lines here and there that night.  
  
"That's unfortunate. You're going to be waiting for a while, kitty." The blush gracing her face said otherwise, but he refrained from mentioning it, despite the impossibility of the task; he wasn't about to risk making her annoyed with him again. He'd learned that was not how you get a girlfriend and her crush already had enough of an advantage, the lucky bastard. "I'm glad you've calmed down now and gone back to normal, though, y'know? You went kind of crazy there with the crush."  
  
Chat glanced over at her again briefly before staring up at the ceiling as he pondered. "Do you dislike that I have a crush on you?" It was a fair question, considering how she reacted to the news, and it didn't surprise her that he was asking it. He now knew he'd gone overboard after the initial revelation.  
  
"I...don't, but I did dislike that you started treating me as a crush first and a friend second. I like having you as a bestie; not so much as an admirer." The boy heaved a sigh. Yeah, he'd learned after being thrown off the roof (and after getting some sleep) that he wasn't acting much like a friend. Much less the best friend he'd been so happy to be.  
  
"I'm really sorry about that, Mari. Regardless of how much I want to date you," he sneaked his hand across the floor to meet hers and laced their fingers together, "you're always my friend first, I promise; I'll make sure it shows from now on. Just as long as you know that I _am_ also an admirer." Their entwined hands were raised so he could press a peck to the back of hers. His eyes bore into hers to make absolutely sure his friend would believe what he was saying, and judging by the newly-revived blush and wide eyes, she did.  
  
"I-I just, I don't understand. What happened to make you like me all of a sudden?" Which was also a completely fair question and it didn't surprise him that she was asking it; it had been pretty sudden for him too.  
  
"Alright, so, you remember that you were crying and I was cheering you up because we're best buds forever, and you wouldn't let me?" he started, which she nodded to. "I thought about it a bit right then because I realized that what I really wanted to do was latch on you in a hug tighter than a junebug latches in hair and never ever let go ever."  
  
"Wh- a junebug in hair?"  
  
"One time I went swimming in a lake with Chl- I mean, a friend, and she found, like, eight in her hair and they wouldn't let go. Anyway! We're discussing my epiphany, not my metaphors. So then I started thinking, 'okay, I know I'm clingy and a cuddler but I don't feel this clingy over my other friends or the urge to kiss their mouths or have to slap myself to keep from staring-'"  
  
"You slap yourself?"  
  
"I feel like you're missing my point here, princess." The girl groaned and covered her face with her hands to hide away her utter mortification at the situation.  
  
"Fine, what's your point then?"  
  
"I've probably been in love with you for a long time now, Mari." A louder groan came as Marinette flopped away from him, onto her back, and continued to roll until she was laying on her stomach with her face buried in a double layer of hand and mattress. "Mari? Are you dying?" He poked her in the ribs when she nodded in response. "Marinette, don't die. That would mean I have a crush on a corpse. Corpse crushes are creepy, Mari, don't do that to me." Chat continued poking her until she was giggling and didn't stop until she was howling in forced laughter, grinning at his own cruelty until she managed to kick him in the stomach and send him careening off the bed.  
  
"Rotten cat!" she huffed, indignant and overexerted, "There are plenty of ways for me to skin you, y'know!" The superhero smirked up at her from where he laid on his back and moved one leg to point straight into the air while a hand supported his chin.  
  
"And you wouldn't do a single one of them," he purred. "You never regret letting me in, remember?" Red bloomed on her cheeks for the millionth time that night and a pillow was chucked in his general direction. He expertly smacked it away with his tail and a yawn, sending it right under her bed in a smooth line. "Oh, whoops."  
  
"Wait, I'll get it." Marinette started to reach under before Chat batted away her hand to shove his own claws after it.  
  
"No, I should, I'm the one that hit it."  
  
"Um, uh, but I'm the one that threw it! Just let me-"  
  
"Oh?" His hand knocked into something light and hollow. He gripped it and pulled out a shoebox painted pink and decorated with white polka dots. "What's this, princess? Purr-haps a gift for your local superhero?" The girl was sheet-white, and protesting profusely, threatening to scalp him if he opened it, but it was far too late; the second he finished his sentence, he pried the lid off. Right as he did, his grip on the box slipped and sent the contents - dozens of pictures of Adrien Agreste's face - fluttering through the air. Two rapidly flushing faces gaped at the sight. Chat turned to look at her and Marinette turned to look at the wall in shame.  
  
"Princess?"  
  
"Mhm?" She didn't look at him.  
  
"What the fuck is this?"  
  
"Um. Modeling pictures."  
  
"These are a lot of pictures. Of one boy."  
  
"I like the clothes." Chat gave a toothy grin as he stalked a few steps closer and she stumbled a few steps back.  
  
"You like his _face!"_ Her nose scrunched up.  
  
"He's a model; I'm allowed to!" The model in question threw his head back in a laugh before glancing around at the surrounding cut-outs of him.  
  
"So _this_ is senpai? Your prince charming? The one I've been trying to compete with this entire time?" He chuckled again while Marinette died inside.  
  
"Okay, yes, I have a crush on a famous model. Laugh it up, it's so funny. I'm aware that it's impossible and that he's out of my league." She flapped a hand, trying to wave off her embarrassment, and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have to be quite so amused by it."  
  
"Hey, who said it's impossible?" Because it very much wasn't and he was a rather credible source regarding it. "After all, you've already got one good-looking cat after you, and it's a superhero! Which always beats a supermodel, by the way." Chat winked, the beam never wavering on his double-super face. She glanced at him with a small smile of her own.  
  
"Yeah. Maybe."

 

The next morning, it was full of confidence and genuine swagger that Adrien Agreste went up to Marinette's desk and asked, "Are you a camera? Because I smile every time I see you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> id actually been planning on putting this chapter up on july 25th bc that was my birthday and i wanted to make ppl celebrate it without realizing BUT WELL THAT DIDNT HAPPEN  
> bc im slow and i don't wanna proofread and needed to work on piecing together things  
> and revert the shitposting ive been doing tbh  
> (ive only finished it now to procrastinate on a drawing (of adrien dammit this kid))
> 
> but ive had the shoebox planned since like the second chapter and i have  
> been  
> dYINg  
> to use it  
> so dying in fact that i may have deleted an almost-kiss scene idk how im going to use it now  
> if i can't i'll throw it up on here anyway as another deleted scene cause ive had it for so long there is no wAY im not using it  
> 


	9. Deleted Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i wanted to do somethin funny with nino and adrien but then it was like  
> man this is a shitpost  
> man this doesnt seem right  
> man but i liked writing it so im putting it out there anyway cause psh i already did the work and i dont wanna delete it  
> so a not-deleted deleted scene yup.

"Nino!" A brunette head snapped up at the sound of his name and his best bud's voice. Ah, the frantic cry of an Agreste in the wild, eager to see his friend. Adrien was early this morning; he usually was anyway, but today was really early. They still had forty minutes until class started, but hey! Now that was time they could spend chilling out being cool.   
  
_"Nino!"_ Aw, Adrien was so excited to see him. His best friend could honestly be really adorable sometimes. His mouth opened as he turned to respond with a cool, casual greeting right before he was body-slammed to the grass by an Agreste-colored blur shouting his name a third time.   
  
"Ah, _god!_ What the hell? Was that a human that tackled me or a sack of bricks? Why the painfully clingy greeting?" Nino tried shove his friend off and sit up at the same time, but he was stopped by the blonde straddling his stomach and clutching the front of his blue t-shirt in both fists.   
  
"Nino, you gotta help me seduce Marinette!"   
  
"I- wait, what?"   
  
"Seducing! Marinette! I need to do! Help!" Adrien assumed that shaking his bestie with each word would help them sink in better, and he needed them to sink in so that he could date and marry and raise kids with the love of his life. The sooner Nino understood his needs, the sooner he could get on that rosy future. _"NINO HELP ME WOO MY PRINCESS!"_  
  
"Bro!" The tanned boy held up both hands, palms out in a placating gesture, hoping it may sooth his rampaging friend's insanity. "I'm going to need you to take a chill-the-fuck-out pill, then take another, and then get the heck off my lap 'cause I'm not Santa." His hands came down on Adrien's wrists to gently pry them off his now-wrinkled tee, then shoved him to the side so the DJ could get up, leaving Adrien to sprawl on his back in the grass. "Okay. Now that we got you out of my way, you can now explain the nonsense spewing out of your mouth. Why do you need to charm Mari? I didn't know you liked her like that."  
  
"That, my dear bud, is where you are wrong!" Adrien sprang up again and shoved a defiant finger right in front of the tip of Nino's nose. "I'm a smitten kitten for her, but I can't figure out how to make her fall for me. Which is where you come in!" The defiant finger was examined with disbelieving crossed eyes before being smacked out of his face so Nino could examine Adrien's.  
  
"Right...How about you start with sleeping at night so you don't act more bat-shit than guano?" came his polite inquiry after seeing the heavy dark circles lining the blonde's eyes. But that only made the bat-shit boy snort.  
  
"I don't need sleep, I need puns."  
  
"Puns?"  
  
"To seduce Mari with."  
  
"You can't seduce her with puns, Adrien."  
  
"It worked before, trust me, but I need you to help me think of some good flirty ones! I mostly have cat ones. Help meow-t!"  
  
"Adrien, no. I'm not letting you do this to yourself. Or Mari. Or me."  
  
"Nino!"  
  
"Adrien, go take a nap before somebody tries to spare the world and kill you."  
  
"Ni- _NO!"_  
  
"Make a pun out of my name again and I'll be the one to kill you!"  
  
"I'm too pretty for you to kill me." Adrien fluttered his eyelashes and leaned his cheek against his buddy's shoulder, a syrupy smile pointed up at Nino before the model's head was shoved away.  
  
"Don't you pose at me! And you won't be seducing anybody with those bags under your eyes. Catch some Z's before your drooling sleeping face charms her for you."  
  
"Think it could?"  
  
"If you really try to use puns for this, it might be your best shot."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just want adrien to be the type to panic easily and get rly hyped when hes tired  
> is that so wrong


	10. Author's Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry!

A couple weeks ago, my stepfather died of cardiac arrest so I've been taking care of my mom by spending pretty much all my time with her. Not much left for typing, though that doesn't matter anyway, because I'd been writing the new chapter on a website on my shitty laptop, which no longer will connect to the Internet, and now I can't get to it. Sorry, but the story more or less ends here. I'll put up the notes I had later and maybe a rough summary of what might have happened. 

Thanks for sticking around with me and for all of the nice comments! You guys are really great and I'm glad I could contribute to your entertainment at least a little.

[Edit:] My laptop miraculously started working again, but the chapter is gone so that was a bummer. :D


	11. END + Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus a very lazy end for which I am sorry, plus notes, a deleted scene, and an old drawing of the sunshine boy.

**Brief summary of the ending:**

Marinette decides she loves both Adrien and Chat equally and can't choose between them. Adrien is all confident still and brings a bouquet of flowers to school to ask her out. She take him to the hall, tells him sorry, there's somebody else. Crestfallen kitty. BUT THEN REALIZES the somebody else is probably him, except with cat ears! So he transforms that night, goes to visit and ask her out again even more confident than before, but then “There's somebody else.” Well what the fuck Mari how many guys are wooing you, Adrien is out of alter egos. After some pushing, she says it's Adrien still but CHAT CALLS BULLSHIT. So he's mad and sad (smad) and saying that if she doesn't like him she should just say so, they could still be friends, it hurts more that she's lying.  
  
She's not lying and explains that she likes both of them so she won't go out with either because it's not fair to them. Kitty is stunned. Emotions are complicated. Super complicated. Should he be happy or frustrated? Because he be both, among other things. His existence is screaming. SCrEAmING.  
  
After he stops being broken he decides let's be happy bout this. Pretty girl likes both sides of me equally so damn she must really love me. Time to have fun. First gotta point out "Could date both of us y'know" but no cause "I do not have enough free time to maintain a relationship with TWo high-spec dude nuh-uh no thank you that is too much damn work."  
  
"Cats are low maintenance"  
  
"I'd believe that if I hadn't met you."  
  
Flirty banter, dorks being dorks, Chat gets exposed (wink wink) probably through the dad joke with jazz hands (see notes). Mari's turn to break. Lots of emotions. Largely embarrassment. Also comes with a side of frustration and anger because damn it no wonder he was so confident as Adrien all of a sudden, the damn cat knew. Well fuck him not litterally, time to wipe that smug smile that isn't actually there because he's super nervous about outing himself off his not smug face. Cue magical girl transformation and badass bug in the room. "WHAt LADYBUG OH GOSH gOLLY" now he gets to be embarrassed too though he's been embarrassing this entire time. Probably the ladybug argument here (see notes).  
  
Neat and tidy end 'cause now they're embarrassed together and together together and can do all that couple jazz but also as superheroes huzzah.

 

**Notes of what could have been:**

 

adrien hissing when a guy keeps buggin her (not new but so satisfying)

chat hissing at guy-akumad because mari rejected him and is now conrenersed dbUT CHATs THERE AND PROTECTIGVE AND HISSTY (BECAUSE iT MAKES ME HAPPY)

 

mari takes both out on test dates???//??

his bad luck strikes on bOTh he's a terrible date hes going off a bunch of movies

  * tries taking her to seattle as adrien to act out sleepless in seattle???
  * tries the mud fight from the last song as chat - she's wearin a mari original tho



(consider tho: id have to watch the movies to have him copy them..........)

but he cute and she perky so they have fun anyway of course bc that's how things wORK

adrien takes the oppurrtunaflea to get two gnight kisses bc playah plays sonnnn

 

alya is roped in with nino to help with mari/ listen to him whine about how hes never talked to girls b4 and doesnt know what hes doing

ignores all decent advice because he's a silly spudmuffin and does terrible cheesy shit instead

save mari hes going off anime too

  * FEerRIS WHEeL
  * haunted house
  * she punches somebody in the haunted house
  * HOT SpIIRNGS
  * no adrien thats weird
  * acts like tamaki (ouran host club)
  * p sure he'd say 'kyaa' at least once
  * he has to say 'kyaa' at least once
  * brings her a bento??
  * he cant cook that shit is poison
  * hes the cute girl that cant cook but tries anyway trope good job adrien



somebody let him know that while she likes flowers her room has a finite amount of space

chat of course serenades her under her balcony at night in true tomcat fashion

its not appreciated she wants to sleep

gives her his jacket bc cold but plagg is in it and it smells like cheese

adrien gives her pastries

  * from rival bakery?
  * from her family's bakery?
  * she made them he gives her pastries she made



 

makin banana pancakes together

flinging mashed bananas at each other

because we may be evolved but deep down we are still animals

_banana pancakes r a real thing tho right its not just a song??//?_

 

chat leaves notes on her balcony for her when he cant hang out

theyr all puns

 

Ladybug argument:

  
"No! You're not allowed to be Ladybug!"

"Wait what? Why not? That's fucking rude."

"Ladybug runs headlong into danger. You get into enough trouble as it is! You're not allowed to get beat up by akumas on top of that!"

"One, I don't get beat up! Two, you fight akumas so you have no right to talk. Three, I do what I want."

"Princess please."

"Chat I kick ass deal with it".

"YOU JUMPED INTO A DINOSAUR"

"HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN SAY THEYVE DONE THAT CHAT IM BADASS"

 

Possible reveal:

  
"Chat im serious"

"Hi Serious I'm Adrien I MEAN CHAT FUCK"

"you stupid fucking cat is that really how I find out your identity iS IT"

he destransformed and did jazz hands "I guess you could say"

"don't"

"the chat"

"NO"

"really fucking messed up this time."

"..."

"...."

"I do say that yes."

 

  
"are you mcfrekaing kidding me"

"Uh, no"

"YOURE SO FUCKING DUMB ADRIEN YOU COULD HAVE JUST ASKED ME OUT AS A CIVILIAN OH MY GOD"

"But you could barely talk to me like that!"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE SENPAI YOU DUMB SHIT"

"I know that!"

"Wait what really?"

"Yup. So you totally wanna smooch my face, don'tcha."

"Not anymore."

"You think I'm pretty."

"Not anymore."

"You wanna marry me."

"Shut up, cat."

"OH SO YOU DO STILL WANNA MARRY ME"

"FUCK OFF"

 

alya lets slip adrien was rootin round about her art supplies??? possible revealish??

  
  
**Deleted kiss scene that would have happened sometime before Chat found out who her crush was:**  
  
  
"You want to kiss me." It wasn't a question; it couldn't be at this point, considering their proximity and the hands clutching his collar to hold him close. Her gaze flicked away from his lips to his eyes.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I could do it right now and you wouldn't mind."  
  
"Honestly, I'd be glad if you would already." He grinned at her grumbling and leaned forward to close the last few inches between them, hovering for a moment. He watched her eyes close as she anticipated what was coming, heard her breath hitch when his nose touched hers, was nearly overwhelmed by the scent of warm sugar that lingered so closely to her skin. _They_ were so close, he was so close to everything he'd been wanting, their mouths were _so close_. He reveled in it, in the fact that she was now in his arms, willing and waiting, only a couple inches away. It was so very, very easy to finally press his lips to hers except that he missed. His lips instead bypassed hers to connect with her cheek, and then the boy pulled back with a pleased, nearly smug grin. Marinette's cheeks flushed and her eyes snapped open, widened in her shock, then narrowed.  
  
"Don't you dare say 'a kiss is a kiss'," she hissed. Chat had considered doing so and snickered at the thought, but shook his head; what he had to say was more important than the opportunity to be cheeky.  
  
"You wouldn't say no if I kissed you right now, but that's not enough for me. I'm going to wait until you're begging for it. Until you're sure you want me and only me, because I want all of you." Her glare was blinked away as her blush grew when he leaned forward again to press their foreheads together. "Thing is, I might be a bit jealous of this other guy still, even if I'm the one with you right now. He's missing out, but I am too, because I'm missing the part of you that's in love with him instead. So until I win you, all of you, completely over, utterly wooed, I'm going to wait."  
  
"Chat..." Marinette hesitantly reached up to touch his cheek, eyes softer now. His smirk grew as he leaned into her palm and didn't stop the purr that rumbled out at the bit of affection. "Stop trying to be cool you fucking dork. You aren't slick." His purr stuttered to a halt; her glare found a new home on his face.  
  
"You couldn't let me have this, huh? Just one moment where I'm really suave with you? I'm trying to be cool here. Goddammit Mari, don't ruin my moment."  
  
"What moment? You weren't even suave, all you did was cheat yourself out of a kiss with your crush." He blinked.  
  
"B-but! You still have a crush on that other guy!"  
  
"And now I still will! Goodnight, tom cat."  
  
"Wait, what the hell does that mean?" She just grinned at him and hopped down the hatch to her bedroom. "Mari! Get back up here and tell me what you mean!" The door snapped shut and he was left alone on her balcony. There was a pause before, weakly, "Is it too late to kiss you now?"  
  
The muffled laughing coming from her room seemed to be a yes.  
  
_"Goddammit."_

 

**Sunshine boy:  
**

__


End file.
